Empress Ascendant
by Unruly Marmite
Summary: The Emperor wasn't sure how he ended up in a different universe, or what the parasite leeching off Humanity was. But he was the guardian of Mankind, and there was at least one person on this world worthy of taking up his mantle.
1. Chapter 1

_**I don't own...yeah, I think all the disclaimer stuff is self explanatory.**_

 _ **So, I was reading Worm, and this idea came into my head. I'm not sure how good it is, or if people will like it, but I thought I'd get it out there since it gives me a chance to write something a little more action packed than Harry Potter. Rest assured though, my other stories have not been abandoned.**_

 _ **So, uh, enjoy.**_

 ** _Edited 09/06/2017- some alterations to the formatting, as my usual double spacing to mark paragraphs had inexplicably gone AWOL and I've been forced to use the actual lines. Also, a few lines added in to help with the most jarring scene change, all things pointed out in reviews, so I do listen._**

* * *

The Emperor could never have guessed that he could find himself in a worse situation than his interment upon the Golden Throne. Massive agonies, slowly feeling himself dying, seeing Mankind slowly going extinct and the _itching_ of phantom limbs- if he ever recovered he was going to beat Nurgle to a whining pulp for that- but he had been wrong. There was something worse, and this endless void was it. He wasn't even sure what happened. He had been communicating with the Void Dragon that was quiescent on Mars- as it turned out, the ancient Star God had mostly recovered from the psychosis induced by massive consumption of mortal souls, and was relatively sane and helpful- when he had felt an enormous distortion in the Warp. It hadn't been anything he had recognised, his best guess had been that the Dark Gods had finally stopped being polite and started murdering each other, and the backlash had…well, he had no idea. He had attempted to brace the Astronomicon against the wave, but he assumed it had been futile. Regardless, the last thing he had sensed was a wash of power as the Void Dragon rose from slumber, and he could only hope that the C'tan would help humanity. He certainly could not.

 **'** **YET ANOTHER FAILURE. THIS PLACE IS EVEN WORSE THAN THE WARP. AT LEAST THERE I WOULD GET TO OBLITERATE SOME DAEMONS.'** The Emperor mentally grumbled. Whatever had hurled him through this…whatever it was hadn't even had the grace to restore his body. He was still in the form of a rotted skeleton, and his limbs _still itched._ Still, he thought that he might be slowly regaining some use of his body. It was hard to tell, but…wait. A light. A light in the distance. If he was a lesser man, the Emperor would have cheered. As it was, he gathered his strength and waited.

 **'** **THAT LOOKS LIKE TERRA. BUT ONE FAR YOUNGER THAN I RECALL.'** He mused, searching through his memory. It was a long search, but he believed that it might be Terra as it had been dozens of millennia ago. The third millennium, maybe? Hard to tell. However, the shadow of the enormous slug-thing hovering over the planet was not one he recalled. And the Emperor was fairly certain that he would have recalled something like that.

 **'** **IT LOOKS LIKE NURGLE HAD A CHILD WITH A SLUG, AND THEN IT WAS DROPPED IN A PIT OF CRYSTALS. FACE FIRST.'** The Emperor said, his mental voice unfortunately lacking most of the inflection that he wanted. He was getting closer, but it was still more of a booming monotone than anything else. It was a projection of his powers after all. Whatever the beast was, it was _ugly._ The Emperor concentrated, and he could see that the shards that composed much of the things form were falling towards the planet of his race, apparently attracted towards the most despairing of the human race. It was disgusting, another parasite in a line far too long for the Emperor to remember all of them. Wrath swelled within him, and he mustered his might to turn upon the creature, to erase it from existence. Power boiled and swirled within, and then…nothing. He could not strike. Could not crush the beast to less than atoms.

" **SON OF A BITCH."** The Emperor stated, concluding that more violent curses would probably be redundant. At least he could now identify why he appeared to be regaining use of his body: he wasn't a physical being anymore. A being of spirit, unable to affect the lamentably physical form of the giant space whale-slug thing that was apparently feeding off the pain of his people. The Emperor drifted aimlessly around the giant creature as he thought, absently examining it. After a period of examination, he concluded that the beast was, for want of a better phrase, multi-dimensional. On one hand, that meant that there could only be one of it, existing across multiple Earths in the multiverse. On the other hand, the only thing he'd encountered that were definitely like that were the Chaos Gods. The Emperor wasn't sure he could defeat something of that power level even at his best. At least, not without laying waste to a significant portion of existence. As he was currently, more a ghost than a real being, he couldn't even begin to confront it. Not unless he could somehow regain a form, which would require some sort of possession. Which he refused to do on sheer principle. The Emperor drifted aimlessly for what could well have been years, his mind sorting through his vast history until he hit upon an idea. The Eldar Phoenix Lords.

The Eldar Phoenix Lords had long fascinated the Emperor. They were, simply put, an amalgamation of souls. A Phoenix Lord always seemed the same, always acted the same. A Phoenix Lord was eternal. The body might die, but as soon as an Eldar donned the armour of the Phoenix Lord they became part of a union of souls, led by the original Phoenix Lord soul and possessing all the skills and powers that every host had ever had. The Emperor had considered attempting a similar process, in about his six thousandth year on the Golden Throne, but he hadn't been able to get it to work. He didn't have a conduit, like the armour the Phoenix Lords used, and even if he did he doubted that any would wear it. It would have been seen as blasphemous. But…but, he might be able to manage it now. If he could latch on to one of the parasite shards that the creature was sending down to humans, he could usurp it, and bond his powers and soul to a human. In theory. It would be less the hosting of the Phoenix Lords and more a partnership, but it should allow him to aid his people once more. His decision made, the Emperor drifted across to the creature, in order to examine the shards. They were…primitive, he supposed. It should be easy to follow in one's wake and then destroy it once the soul merge was complete. This one that he was close to…it was…it had a purpose, a being, just as they all did. The essence of it was something odd, hard for him to translate exactly.

" **LORD COMMANDER? RULING GOVERNOR? NO. SOMETHING SIMILAR BUT NOT QUITE. I AM MISSING SOME NUANCE OF IT, PERHAPS."** The Emperor mused. It didn't matter. This…this Monarch Overseer shard, or whatever it was, would serve him well enough. Or rather, it's host would, for he had managed to ascertain a brief impression of the one it would manifest in, and the host had potential. Such potential, to be great. Greatness for good or for evil, one worthy of inheriting his mantle and taking his place as the shepherd of Humanity. This was his chosen one. His successor. His final legacy. The Emperor banished a stray hope that it would not turn as sour as his other legacies, and let his ethereal soul follow the path blazed by the shard. His soul was swift and traced the path behind the shard, quickly drawing on his power. The child who would inherit his might must not receive it all at once, such might would destroy them, and so he carefully began to partition his strength, to slowly unlock over time. He should be there to control the increase, of course, but were he not his efforts would be essential. And then he noted that the shard was almost at its destination, and he could view the one who would be his host and successor. A girl child, young and scrawny, trapped in a…a locker, he thought, dredging his mind for memories of long ago. He could feel her horror, her disgust, her terror, and yet he could see defiance and determination. Yes. She would be worthy. The Emperor followed the shard, and waited for the precise moment.

 **"** **QUERY?"**

 **"** **OBJECTIVE."**

 **"** **DESTINATION?"**

 **"** **NO."**

The Emperor interrupted the strange sequence that the shard was going through, overwhelming it and melding his soul to the girls, a process that he already knew would be agonising for both of them. And in the last moments before the agony caused him to briefly lose his ability to think, he silently apologised to her. For he knew that her life would be changed, irrevocably.

* * *

The locker. The locker, the locker, the locker, oh God the smell and the feel of it and the darkness and the crampedness and the panic. Taylor writhed and twisted and barely fought back the urge to scream as whatever the Hell filled the tiny metal box squished around her, oozing and gelatinous. Insanity. Insanity awaited as tiny legs crawled across her form and _something_ skittered across her face and she instinctively closed her eyes and prayed that it wouldn't reach her eyes. Pain raked up her arms as she scratched them in her cramped, crushed flailing, and only the fear of something getting into her mouth prevented her from screaming and howling in the locker. Couldn't tell, couldn't tell how long it had been, trapped in a cycle of fear and horror and pain and there was light and two vast _things_ and something was falling towards her and growing larger and larger and-

 **"** **NO."**

The voice was booming and terrible and soothing all at once, and Taylor felt a strange relief. And then the relief was washed away by the pain and Taylor _screamed._

"Where…where am I?"

Her voice sounded very weak and thready, and as she opened her eyes slowly she found herself surrounded by a blinding white that made her squint and cover her eyes.

" **AH, MY APOLOGIES. I HAD NOT CONSIDERED THAT YOU ARE UNUSED TO THIS."**

The voice was deep and booming, and vibrated in her bones like nothing she had ever experienced, and it drew her attention as the light dimmed, a great deal. When Taylor opened her eyes again she was in a cavernous room, lavishly decorated in gold and with a great throne at one end. The room seemed old, though, and decayed- almost decrepit.

" **NOT THE BEST IMAGE, I'M AFRAID."** The voice said quietly, and she turned to face it. She almost screamed at what she saw, and the figure paused and looked down at itself before twisting before her eyes, turning into a vast man, with darkly tanned skin and black hair drawn back.

"What…what are you?" Taylor demanded, her voice shaking. The monstrous man- he had to be over ten feet tall, and broad to match- took a few more steps forward, holding up enormous hands in a gesture of peace.

" **CALM, CHILD. I AM…I AM THE EMPEROR. I DO NOT WISH TO HURT YOU."**

 _Parahuman,_ her mind screamed. Not one that she had heard of, but that didn't make him any less dangerous.

" **PARAHUMAN? I SUPPOSE THAT WOULD NOT BE INACCURATE."** The Emperor mused. He sighed, and looked at her.

" **EVIDENTLY THIS FORM IS NOT REASSURING. PERHAPS ONE THAT IS LESS IMPOSING**?" He said, before his appearance once again twisted in a manner that was simply _wrong,_ and he became a much shorter, slimmer figure. Still taller than even Taylor's unusual height, but more human, with dark blond hair in a single ponytail and features that were attractive in a non-descriptive way.

" **BETTER?"**

"M…much."

" **I AM GLAD. TO INFORM YOU, TAYLOR, I COULD BE CALLED PARAHUMAN. BUT I AM NOT HERE TO HARM YOU. I CANNOT. I AM YOU, CHILD. ONCE I WAS CALLED THE EMPEROR OF ALL MANKIND, AND NOW I AM BARELY MORE THAN A GHOST."**

 **"** I…I don't understand." Taylor said softly. The Emperor tilted his head slowly, and then nodded.

" **I SHALL SHOW YOU."**

He hesitated.

 **"** **FOR THIS I AM SORRY."** He said quietly, and Taylor _saw._

The metal of the locker crumpled and ruptured, and Taylor stepped forth, eyes blazing with eldritch blue light in the darkness and her hair playing about her shoulders, running with faint strands of lightning.

" **SO IT IS."** The Emperor rumbled inside her mind. Taylor echoed him more quietly, distracted by the rushing of power within her.

"I can…I can hear them. So many…" she whispered, as the rush of humanity ran through her mind, dragging at her sense of self. A soothing strength cooled her mind, and the babble faded to a soft, comforting buzz as The Emperor aided her, his knowledge hers.

"I'm not as powerful as you were." Taylor remarked quietly as she walked towards the school doors, the detritus and slime of the locker falling from her clothes with but a thought.

" **YES. I BELIVE THAT YOU HAVE NOT COME INTO THE FULLNESS OF YOUR STRENGTH- OUR STRENGTH. AS MY IMPERIUM MEASURED IT YOU ARE A POWERFUL DELTA CLASS PSYKER, ABLE TO READ THE MINDS OF A SMALL CITY OR DEVASTATE FOES IN SINGLE BATTLE. YOU WILL GROW MIGHTIER, TAYLOR."**

"Grow mightier. Grow mightier, and do what?"

" **THAT IS YOUR CHOICE. YOU ARE…THE EMPRESS NOW, I SUPPOSE."**

"No. Not Empress. Not yet." Taylor said softly. Her resolve hardened as she walked to the front doors of the school, opening them with a gesture of her hand and a twist of her thoughts. She did not have all the memories of the Emperor, she barely had any of them, but using her powers came naturally to her. Almost as though she had been born to them. The ghost of a smile crossed her face as she stepped out into the harsh orange glow of streetlights. In a way she had been born to them. _They_ had been born to them. Taylor focused on drawing her powers back, and the manifestation of her powers ceased, The lightning no longer dancing around her hair and her eyes no longer glowing.

"I suppose I should head home. Dad will be worried." She said quietly, smiling slightly as she realised that all the frustration and fear and sorrow she had been feeling for however long had faded. It had not gone away entirely, but it no longer weighed her down.

" **WILL YOU BE A HERO? A MEMBER OF THIS PROTECTORATE?"** asked The Emperor. Taylor thought she could hear curiosity in the booming voice: either that or the connection they had was letting her understand him better.

"I don't know. Would it help more? Or can I do more with your knowledge, our knowledge? Can I grow mighty enough to destroy the leech alone? Will humanity ever truly grow into its potential with us holding its hand? Questions I can't answer. I suppose…I suppose I shall see how things go."

" **PERHAPS THE WISEST COURSE OF ACTION."**

"I hope so. Maybe it would be best to wait before I start doing anything. Actually assess my powers?"

 **"** **MAYBE. IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO GIVE YOURSELF TIME TO ADAPT."**

A pause.

 **"** **I BELIVE THAT YOU MAY HAVE ALSO INHERITED MY STATUS AS A PERPETUAL. IT WILL BE UNUSUAL."**

"A Perpetual…that's a big thing. This is…this is a lot to take in." Taylor murmured as she set off. She would need to walk home, in the dark. That was a nuisance, but it took very little effort to expand her powers and nudge any minds around away from her so that she could travel untroubled. She sank into contemplation, considering what she had learned. What she knew. What little she remembered of the Emperor's life, and eventually her thoughts slid to Sophia, Emma and Madison.

 **"** **PLOTTING REVENGE?"**

"Am I? I don't know. I feel like what they did is so insignificant compared to everything that you have seen, and yet…"

 **"** **YET RESENTMENT FOR THEM STILL BOILS WITHIN YOU, AND YOU STILL WISH TO INFLICT UPON THEM THE AGONIES THEY SUBJECTED YOU TO. THAT IS HUMAN. NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS."**

"Human. Yes. That's what we are, isn't it? Human."

Taylor paused in her walk and looked upward, straining past the streetlights to see the stars, faint overhead.

"It's humbling I suppose."

 **"** **MANY THINGS ARE."**

Walking home took a while. Normally it would have taken a while, but it took even longer now as Taylor took her chance to do a little good as she went. Soothing violent impulses near to her was easy enough, with the Emperor coaching her. Besides, if she really was a Perpetual now, time was not an issue. She had as much time as she would ever need.

"I'm going to need a costume. And to consider the best way to present my powers." Taylor said.

 **"** **HMM. YES, I CAN SEE HOW REVEALING THE FULL SCOPE OF YOUR POWERS WOULD BE UNWISE, WITH THIS 'SIMURGH' IN EXISTENCE. PERHAPS YOU SHOULD CLAIM YOURSELF A TELEKINETIC, WITH SLIGHT REGENERATION?"**

"Yes. Yes, that could work. Assuming my regeneration is slow enough that it isn't obvious. And I think there're capes with telekinesis, there might even be one in the city, so I shouldn't raise too many eyebrows."

Taylor lapsed into thought, walking further onwards. She was getting closer to home.

"I need money." She said quietly, still thinking. "With money I can experiment. I can build. I can create things that will help humanity so much…but I need money."

 **"** **THINGS THAT WILL…AH. YES. MUCH OF THE TECHNOLOGY I REMEMBER WOULD BE INVALUABLE. AND AS FOR MONEY…DO THE GANGS OF THE CITY NOT HAVE IT?"**

Taylor considered that, smiling slowly.

"What's your opinion on becoming a criminal vigilante?"

A deep chuckle filled her mind.

 **"** **IN THIS CASE, I'D SAY IT ONLY COUNTS IF YOU GET CAUGHT."**

"Spectacular. I just need a costume then. I was thinking something imposing, yet not too hard to make or maintain…"

 **"** **YOU COULD JUST DRESS LIKE AN IMPERIAL GUARD OFFICER."**

"No! Well, maybe. But I'm not sure it's a good idea. It's a little bit, y'know, Nazi. And there are Nazis in the city. And people remember the Nazis. And the look isn't very heroic."

 **"** **BUT AN ARMOURED VEST AND COAT WILL PROTECT AND DISGUISE YOU. YOU DO NOT NEED TO LOOK LIKE A NAZI."** The Emperor pointed out, his voice sounding slightly amused. Taylor grumbled a bit, but agreed. It would still be awkward to put together…high grade body armour that also allowed for free-ish movement wasn't all that common, after all. Problems for later. Considering what being a Perpetual implied, she wouldn't really need armour against low-grade thugs. She hoped. Home was close now: Taylor really hoped that her father was asleep. She didn't really want her first thinking use of her powers to be on a family member. Alas, it was not to be: when Taylor reached her house and paused outside the front door she could sense the worried thoughts of her Dad in the living room. She took a moment to gather her thoughts, and let the Emperor guide her as she shaped her power.

 _There is nothing wrong._

There is nothing wrong. That was the thought that she broadcast, the thought focused on her father, and she waited until the thought had taken hold and was masking his normally sharp perception before walking in.

"Hi Dad." She said, affecting surprise. Her Dad- lean and lanky and balding- looked up from his chair, blinking in surprise and a little sleepiness.

"Oh! Taylor, I thought you'd be home sooner-"

"Had an art project to finish." She lied smoothly, nudging his thoughts just a little to make him believe that the stains on her clothing were the results of an art project. Guilt briefly gnawed at her insides, but she crushed it. No one could know of her powers. Not even her father, not until she was mighty enough to crush all challengers. Her Dad nodded, a little bemused, and she gave him a soft smile.

"Well, it looks like I've ruined these clothes. I'd better get showered and changed," she said, walking away before he could recover and begin questioning her again. Later that night she sneaked downstairs and buried the clothes at the very bottom of the rubbish bin. What her Dad didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

* * *

Two months. Two months, and she was nearly ready to make her debut. Taylor shifted slightly, scooping her books into her bag as the lesson she was in ended. Unfortunately, she still had to attend school. She had made quite a display out of the mess that was her locker the day back in school after The Emperor had merged with her, but it hadn't gotten her more than a week off and a new locker. At least her bullies seemed to have laid off her a little, though she suspected that the odd truce that had come into being was about to be broken. Taylor sighed to herself, steeling her emotions, and walked towards the classroom door and her tormentors. Time to face the music, she thought, and was mildly surprised that she made it several steps from the door before anyone spoke.

"Oh! Look, it's Taylor! I'm surprised that she's still here after what happened to her locker."

The falsely caring voice of her once friend grated on Taylor, but far less than it once would have. Now it was an irritant, and nothing more. Still…Taylor still wondered if she could get away with just a tiny nudge. Just a tiny twist of her powers, and Emma would be broken. No. No, that wasn't the way to go about anything. Instead Taylor turned slowly, smiling and stretching out her power, trying to understand: she hadn't been near the Trio, as she mentally labelled them, since the merging.

Emma. Vain and vapid and so, so broken. Poor girl. Taylor might have pitied her once, but now all she felt was a vague sorrow and contempt. Her old friend was lost, twisted away.

Madison. A follower. A flunky. Nothing interesting there at all, not without diving into home lives. Meaningless. Far more contemptible than Emma, even if her cruel apathy was oh so human.

Sophia. The last. The worst. And…and wasn't that interesting, because Sophia was a cape. And not just any cape…a Ward. One of the junior heroes in the Protectorate team. Well, that was certainly…interesting. Taylor would probably have been outraged not so long ago. Now…well, now she could see that Sophia was hiding what she did. That the school and the PRT case worker considered having a Ward present at the gang-ridden Winslow Academy worth more than a single anonymous student. That sickened her a little.

 **"** **SACRIFICE IS A NECESSARY PART OF LIFE."** The Emperor said in a neutral tone, playing Devil's Advocate. Taylor shrugged mentally.

"And yet, when you sacrifice one so willingly you lose much of your humanity. Trying to do the right thing is never a bad thing." She replied mentally. The Emperor said nothing in reply. Taylor hadn't expected him to: this was something on which she would not agree. Sacrificing innocents was never a course of action that should be taken when there were other choices, long term thinking be damned. There was a sneaking suspicion that she might change that thinking in the future, but she really didn't want to. Slippery slopes. Making them pay less attention to her, on the other hand, would have been fair. Pity that she hadn't thought of it.

"A good education is important, Emma." Taylor replied quietly. The urge to simply mind control Emma and force her to repeat everything Taylor said briefly surfaced, but she quashed it. She wasn't certain that she could hold something like that for long enough anyway.

"Oh? What are you doing then?" Emma snickered. Taylor repressed the urge to roll her eyes.

"Yeah, she didn't even hand in that big art project last Friday." Sophia added. That was actually true. Mainly it was because she had been hit with a fairly large chunk of the Emperor's memories that day, and everything she tried to make had been golden and covered in skulls.

 **"** **I SAID I WAS SORRY."** The Emperor said, sounding a little embarrassed.

 _"_ _You should be. That sense of fashion is terrible."_

 **"** **TERRIBLE? GOLD IS THE GREATEST COLOUR!"**

 _"_ _Be that as it may, the skulls are a step too far. And nothing but gold is a little bit ostentatious. I wouldn't have minded if it had other colours."_

Sophia and Emma were still talking. They had gone back to their thing of talking about her, but not to her. That was fine with Taylor. It made it much easier to mentally nudge them into forgetting about her for the moment and push through the small group of flunkies they had brought.

 _"_ _Why do I even stay here?"_

 **"** **BECAUSE YOU BELIEVE IN GETTING A GOOD EDUCATION, AS YOU SAID."**

 _"_ _I guess that's true. But Emma was right, for once. I'm not getting a good education here. I wonder if I can find a way to move to a different school?"_

 **"** **SO LONG AS YOU'RE SUBTLE ABOUT IT. YOUR POWERS WILL ALLOW YOU TO APPLY SUGGESTIONS AND REINFORCE THOUGHTS EASILY."**

 _"_ _That's something to do, then. Hmm…you know, I heard rumours that the Wards all attended Arcadia. So what's Sophia doing here?"_

 **"** **TRYING TO SET HERSELF APART, PERHAPS? THAT WAS WHAT HER MIND SUGGESTED TO ME. AND IT WAS PROBABLY EASY ENOUGH TO SUGGEST IT AS HELPING TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE MORE GANG-RIDDEN SCHOOL IN THE AREA."**

Taylor eyed a couple of boys who were posturing in the corridor, sliding past them carefully.

 _"_ _Gang-ridden is right. I'm surprised that those lot back there hadn't already gone for each other."_

 **"** **ABB AND EMPIRE EIGHTY-EIGHT, YES? AND THE MERCHANTS. THOSE ARE THE GANGS HERE?"**

 ** _"_** _Yeah. I'm surprised that there isn't more fighting given that the Empire are Nazis and consider anyone who isn't white a being below them, especially considering that the ABB is Asian."_

 **"** **THEY DO KNOW THAT THE NAZIS WERE ALLIED WITH IMPERIAL JAPAN, DON'T THEY?"**

 _"_ _I wouldn't count on it. They're Neo-Nazis, they just think that the Nazis had the right idea and that everybody not white should be killed. Oh, and homosexuals. They think that they should be killed as well I believe."_

 **"** **FOOLISH. PEOPLE GIVE ENOUGH REASONS TO HATE THEM WITHOUT JUDGING SKIN COLOUR OR SEXUALITY."**

Taylor answered that with a mental shrug. Honestly, the Emperor was more or less disgusted by the Empire. His own Imperium had been more or less fascist and generally evil, but it hadn't been so petty as to discriminate on such minor matters. On the other hand, it had been rabidly religious, so maybe that made up for it. The Emperor grumbled wordlessly in the back of her mind, but said nothing to defend his Imperium: probably because everything she said had been true.

 **"** **THEY'LL ALL BE CHRISTIANS AS WELL, I ASSUME?"**

 _"_ _I'd assume so. It's likely. But please don't start talking about the evils of religion. You tried to exterminate it yourself and it hardly ended well."_

 **"** **WELL, YOU AREN'T WRONG. YOU THINK WE SHOULD LEAVE THIS SCHOOL AND WORK ON OUR COSTUME FOR VENTURING OUT TONIGHT?"**

 _"_ _Finally. I thought you'd never ask."_

* * *

A black turtleneck sweater. Cargo pants, also black, and a long coat. Not the best costume ever, but good enough. Army boots and a mixture of balaclava and scarf provided a makeshift mask: Taylor would have preferred something more secure- something more like a cut-down gasmask- but this would do. She didn't actually have a weapon yet: she needed a baton or a staff or something. Either would do, since she had enough of the Emperor's experience to use either. Not perfectly, since the Emperor's experience was more along the lines of a sword and a glaive, but good enough. Her own psychic powers would have to do for now. Considering that the Warp in this universe was quiescent, she would have no problems wielding her powers. She paused, looing again at her makeshift costume, and sighed. She had to add it, she supposed. It took under half an hour, when using her powers, to weave the golden- well, yellow- thread she had bought into the sweater, forming the outline of a double headed eagle.

"That should do." She said quietly, before quickly dressing. It was dark now, and the gangs of Brockton Bay would soon be coming out to play. She intended to hit some smaller criminal groups, and hopefully equip herself from them.

 **"** **REMEMBER TO USE YOUR PYSCHICS TO AUGMENT YOUR PHYSICAL ABILITIES. YOU WON'T HIT HARD ENOUGH OTHERWISE."** The Emperor reminded. Taylor nodded as she slipped out of her door, careful to keep the noise down.

 _"_ _I know."_

She did know. The Emperor was no slouch in hand to hand combat: in fact, he was practically unmatched, but he had also been highly superior in a physical sense. Even before coming into the powers that let him shapeshift into his hulking fifteen feet tall form he had been nearly seven feet tall and muscled like an Eighties action hero. Taylor, by contrast, was five feet six and slender, even if she had been becoming more muscular recently. The Emperor suspected that it was the influence of her new status as a Perpetual, keeping her in peak health, considering that the exercise she did was mainly running. Working on her strength had taken something of a back seat, and more so now. Taylor would simply have to rely on her psychic powers to reinforce her body until she could get a weapon. And gang members had weapons. Problem, meet solution. Now to find some gang members.

Taylor's solution for finding gang members that she could take down was very simple. First, she found a tall building. One with a fire escape attached. Then, she used a psychic assisted jump to get on to the fire escape and climb to the roof of the building. And then, she settled herself on the roof in a pose that could almost be called meditative, and opened her mind to the city. It came as a rush, a wave, all the fears and hopes and dreams and nightmares, and Taylor wavered under the deluge before she focused herself, drawing in the scope of her mind until it was closer to the building on which she perched and narrowing her focus, looking for what she wanted. A brief thought drifted through her mind, not one of hers…

 _'_ _Lung and Oni Lee. Are you sure this is a good-'_

 _'_ _Undersiders pay today-'_

 _"_ _Gang warfare. Not something I want to be a part of."_ Taylor decided, blocking that part out. She wanted something smaller, something easier. It didn't take long: she was in a rough part of the city and finding a drug deal in progress nearby was just a matter of time. Once she found it Taylor slid back down the fire escape, dropped to the ground and moved towards her target. There were only three men. Easy. Hopefully.

* * *

It might not be so easy. There were only three men, yes, but Taylor had been expected drug addicts, not Empire Eighty-Eight strongmen. She hovered on the rooftop above them, using a tiny application of her talent to mask her presence from them. Well, less a masking and more a general 'you have no reason to look up' feeling, but close enough.

 **"** **THERE ARE ONLY THREE OF THEM. NORMAL MEN. YOU CAN MANAGE THIS."** The Emperor encouraged. Taylor looked down, closing her eyes and letting the worry, the fear, the insecurity that she would fail wash over her. Let it sink into her. And then she smiled, pushed it away and stepped off the roof. Taylor slowed her descent with her powers, landing softly in the alleyway. A hand came up and pressed two fingers against a head: a carefully controlled psychic spark and the man went down in a heap. His buddy turned, mouth opening in alarm, and caught a knee to the groin that put him out of the fight as well. The drug dealer, a scrawny man, turned to run, but Taylor caught his jacket and applied her enhanced strength to ram him into a wall. Another psychic spark and he collapsed as well, unconscious but ultimately unhurt. Taylor turned to the only standing man- well kneeling after the groin attack, but the phrase was close enough-, the second Empire strongman, and seized his jaw.

"Look into my eyes." She intoned, forcing his head up and bringing her mental might to bear on his mind. It didn't take long to drive through his mind, dragging out his memories of safehouses, plans, Capes, everything. And he wasn't all that hurt. Well…he might need to learn to speak again, but there was no serious long term damage. Probably. Regardless, none of the thugs had anything more than a switchblade, so Taylor left them as they were and headed to the nearest Empire safehouse that she considered small enough for her to attack. She just needed a bat or something. Was that too much to ask?

* * *

" _Ring-a-ring of roses, a pocketful of posies…"_ Taylor sang mentally, broadcasting her thoughts through the entire building. She was finding a new edge to her powers, one that the Emperor had known well but hadn't told her about: she could create illusions. And broadcast her thoughts. Really, she could be a very effective terror hero if she played up this angle. A small smile played across her mouth as she listened to the sounds of terror and panic, but then she guessed that the ghostly children that her illusions caused the Empire members in the house to see were somewhat unsettling. Taylor herself ghosted into the house, heading for the least panicked gang members and adding a smothering darkness to her mass illusion. Take out the ones with guns first, she told herself, and the rest after. Fortunately, there were only eight or so people in the room, and only one had a gun. That one, a woman with dyed blonde hair and a hard expression, was trying to enforce some order. She didn't even react as Taylor walked up behind her and clamped a hand on either side of her head. A psychic knock-out spark, and Taylor dragged the woman back to the wall of the room. To the other gang members, it would appear that a pair of gloved hands simply dragged their leader into the suffocating darkness. More than one of them screamed.

 _"_ _Oh, don't worry. You'll all be with her soon."_ Taylor told them, keeping her mental broadcast to a soft, papery whisper. From the way they reacted it wasn't a comfort, and Taylor used the chance to cross to the nearest gang member. This one in particular was a stocky girl with pigtails, and holding- joy of joys- a baseball bat.

 _"_ _Just what I needed."_ Taylor whispered to her in particular, before grabbing her by the throat and ramming her into a wall. Part of her mind held the illusion steady as she knocked the stunned girl unconscious and relieved her of her bat. Well, this was nice. It didn't take her long to clear the room after that: it was easy to bring down men who were blinded and panicking. The last man tried to flee: Taylor couldn't have that. As he ran she focused her power, feeling it coil and burn and surge down her arm. It leapt from her outstretched hand as a bolt of bluish lightning, coiling around the man and sending him into twitching convulsions until she cut off the force and knocked him out with her bat.

 _"_ _Not bad work. Time to collect the spoils."_

The spoils weren't as good as she had hoped. Taylor managed to get a sturdy knife, the bat and a few hundred dollars from her raid, but she had thought there would be more. Oh well. She took the gun as well, but she didn't think she'd ever use it. There were far more dangerous weapons waiting to be built, the blueprints in her mind, and a first generation laspistol didn't need all that much technology. On the other hand, a pistol was a good stopgap and possible base, so she took it anyway. Taylor packed all of her loot into a satchel that she had brought for this express purpose, and strode back out into the night.

 _"_ _Well? Do I pass?"_

 **"** **PASS? WELL ENOUGH, I'D SAY. YOU HANDLED YOURESLF WELL, AND THE ILLUSIONS WERE A NICE TOUCH. I HOPED THAT YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND THOSE ON YOUR OWN."**

 _"_ _Why didn't you tell me about them?"_ Taylor asked, genuinely curious. The Emperor shrugged…well, not shrugged exactly, but the psychic resonance he gave off gave the impression of a shrug.

 **"** **IF I TEACH YOU EVERYTHING YOU MAY NEVER LEARN ANYTHING NEW."** He replied. Taylor shrugged, accepting that as a decent answer. A loud explosion sounded, far off, and Taylor glanced in its direction.

 _"_ _Sounds like somebodies having fun."_ She noted, a moment before her still active mind picked up a pattern of distress.

' _Clockblocker. A mere child, how dare he stand in our way-'_

 _'_ _Krieg and Rune, I don't know if we can-'_

Hmm. Clockblocker. A Ward. Facing off against Krieg and Rune, from the Empire. Well…

 _"_ _What do you think?"_

 **"** **THE NIGHT IS STILL YOUNG."**

 _"_ _Excellent."_

The situation for the Wards looked dire, Taylor would have to admit that. The two young men- boys?- were hunkered down behind a car, trying to keep out of the way of rocks and chunks of debris that were being hurled at them. Two Empire capes walked slowly down the road- Krieg, the male, in the lead with Rune, the girl, slightly behind.

 _"_ _You know, I don't think that Krieg is telekinetic, actually. He doesn't seem to be doing anything, at least."_ Taylor observed. The Emperor murmured agreement, and she looked at the two Wards again. Clockblocker was the one in white: his costume was covered in clock faces. He was crouched behind the car, which admittedly offered poor cover as it was parked and therefore offered a much smaller barrier than if it had been lying across the street. Taylor could only assume that he was using his power to time-lock the vehicle, as it didn't seem to be taking any damage from the rocks that were hitting it. The other one, in red and gold, was the Tinker Kid Win, she thought. At least, he was wearing armour and firing what looked like a laser pistol, so probably Tinker. Somehow, Taylor didn't think that either would manage very well once Krieg closed the distance.

 _"_ _Well, here's to grand entrances."_ Taylor thought, and walked out onto the street. Once she reached the rough centre of the street- close to the Wards. She smiled with anticipation behind her scarf and mask and let her 'notice-me-not' effect fade before raising her hand and tapping into her telekinetic powers. The very air before her seemed to ripple, and the chunks of brick and masonry changed their trajectory, condensing into a tight band that swirled and spun around her like a tiny tornado, grinding itself into smaller fragments of rock and dust. Taylor lowered her hand, letting the debris fall to the ground, and raised her head. Krieg, Rune and the Wards all stared at her.

"Greetings." She said, smiling behind her mask.

"Who are you, to dare stand before the Empire?" Krieg demanded. Normally, Taylor would have called him out on being a pompous prick. In this case, however…

"Wow. Wow. You know, with that look and calling yourself Krieg, I would have expected a German accent. But you…not even slightly. Could you not be bothered to even try? Come on, say it with me: 'Zis is ze land of ze vhite peoples, und I shall bring Var to zhose who vould blacken it.' Can you say that? I think it would really cement your Nazi vibe."

Krieg stared at her for a long moment, and Taylor surreptitiously reached out to the rubble around her. Eventually, the man in the gasmask and World War 2 looking uniform spoke.

"Hmph. Well, rest assured of this: your insolence has ensured that I shall remember you marginally longer than the other fools who have attempted to face me."

" _Cute."_ Taylor mentally commented, even as Krieg broke into a run, directed at her.

 **"** **I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT. HE ISN'T TELEKINETIC. THE GIRL IS, BUT HE'S SHOWN NO SIGN OF IT."** The Emperor commented. Taylor had to agree, even as she whipped her hand in the direction of the advancing man and drove a swirling wall of debris towards him. The debris that should have hit slowed and deflected around him- most of it swirling around his subordinate Rune- and Taylor cocked her head.

 _"_ _Fascinating."_

Krieg roared as he lunged out of the dust, swinging a fist. Taylor, taking advantage of being able to read his general intent, dodged and ducked, swinging her bat one handed at his skull. The Nazi leaned back, barely avoiding it, and jumped back at a cry from Rune. Taylor turned as the female Nazi launched a brick at her: Taylor twisted her body and caught the brick in her own telekinesis, swinging it around her body and launching it back at Rune in a slingshot move. Taken off-guard by the move Rune didn't dodge, and the brick hit her ribs with an audible crunch, knocking her off her feet. Krieg snarled and came at Taylor again, fists swinging. He was stronger than he looked: one punch cracked the ground as she skipped aside. Kinetic manipulation? Two could play at that game. Taylor dived away, flinging a fusillade of debris at Krieg to hold him at bay while she drove power into her bat. Krieg came out of the debris unharmed again, and the bat drove through whatever field protected him and hit his ribs. The impact knocked the bat out of Taylor's hands, but also sent Krieg sailing down the street. He landed hard, and Taylor grinned as she retrieved her bat. Home run.

"I suggest you leave, Krieg. It's just going to get worse if you stay." She said loudly. In truth, she wasn't sure how long she could keep this up. A headache was already building, and she was starting to feel tired: and even besides that, she wasn't all that tough. If she was hurt she would heal, but not fast enough to get back into the fight. Hopefully, Krieg and Rune were badly injured enough that they'd leave and not come back. Slowly, Krieg stood. He was standing a little hunched over, and Taylor guessed that his ribs were injured but not broken: presumably the effect of his own powers reducing the impact of her bat. She reached out mentally, prodding slightly to persuade him to leave it there, to accept a stalemate. Krieg stared at her, then snorted.

"You are stronger than you seem, girl. Very well. I shall leave you and the children, but do not think I shall forget."

"Save your threats for when you can back them up." Taylor responded. Krieg let out a little laugh, as though amused by her insolence, and offered Rune a hand up before half carrying the younger Nazi away into the night. Taylor waited until she was sure they were gone before letting out a long breath and turning to the two Wards. As she probably could have expected, Clockblocker was the first to react.

"Hey. Uh, I've no idea who you are, but thanks for the help." The teen in white said, holding out his hand. Taylor shook his hand after a cursory scan of his mind indicated no ill intent.

"It was my pleasure. You seemed like you were in trouble." She said, by way of explanation. An embarrassed laugh was her response.

"Yeah, you think you're breaking up a gang scuffle and Krieg and Rune are there…what can you do?"

"The other heroes couldn't help out?" she asked. Clockblocker shook his head.

"No. Something to do with, er, Lung I think. Something big over at the docks."

"Ah. I'll make sure to avoid that then. You need any more help?"

"I…er, no, I think we can manage." Clockblocker said. Taylor nodded.

"Good. Good. Try not to get in any more trouble." She said, waving and starting to walk away. She stopped when Clockblocker called after her.

"Wait! What's your name? Uh, your cape name. Not your normal name. Obviously. Because that would be weird to ask, y'know."

Taylor grinned a little at his fumble. She had been thinking over names for a while and never decided on one, but now she gave the name that came immediately into her mind.

"Circaetus."

* * *

 ** _So, I hope that you enjoyed this, and leave a review if you can, tell me if you thought it was good or terrible._**


	2. Chapter 2

_**And so there was a second chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up this rate, although past evidence does suggest not. Still, I shall try.**_

 _ **I would also like to say thank you to everybody who reviewed. Yes, even the person who left an anonymous rant that made very little sense. I appreciate all of it. Sort of.**_

 _ **Anyway, I've taken the useful comments into account, and altered my formatting to make paragraphs clearer- something that I've also done to the first chapter. And...that's all, I think. So, without further ado...Worm does not belong to me, and I hope you enjoy.**_

* * *

As it turned out, Clockblocker had been correct about something big going on with Lung. According to Parahumans Online- the website that was the first stop for cape news, gossip and speculation- the leader of the ABB had clashed with a much smaller gang, The Undersiders. It hadn't worked very well for the Undersiders, and they had been forced to flee, leading Lung on a rampage until they were all intercepted by the Protectorate and the Undersiders had been able to flee. Lung had proceeded to beat the tar out of most of the Protectorate team- PHO listed the heroes Dauntless, Miss Militia, Assault and Battery as being injured. Armsmaster, the Protectorate leader, had managed to hold off Lung long enough that the gang leader had left the fight, evidently no longer interested once the Undersiders had escaped. The Protectorate was trying to spin it as a victory, but the massive amounts of damage caused to the fortunately sparsely inhabited Docks area was making that hard. Taylor herself- Circaetus- had a small PHO thread in progress, but it was fairly quiet.

' _Apparently massive fights overshadow new arrivals.'_ She noted.

" **BROCKTON BAY DOES APPEAR TO HAVE A VERY HIGH TURNOVER RATE FOR NEW HEROES."** The Emperor noted. Taylor sighed mentally.

' _Thank you for reminding me of how short the average lifespan of an average independent is.'_ She replied dryly.

 **"** **WELCOME."**

' _I'm impressed that Armsmaster managed to hold Lung off though. Even if Lung wasn't really trying, that's a considerable feat.'_

The Emperor hummed in a non-committal manner, and Taylor shrugged. She still thought it was a decent feat, considering that Lung was nigh unstoppable once he got going. Certainly, Taylor would be very wary of taking him on: she might be able to survive the fight thanks to her Perpetual status, but it probably wouldn't end pleasantly. The Emperor contributed a mental image of strawberry jam, and Taylor winced a little. Yeah. That was why she didn't want to fight Lung until her powers had grown.

 _'_ _I could do with a better weapon. That bat isn't great for channelling, a real Force Weapon would have smeared Krieg over the street.'_

 **"** **YES, IT WOULD HAVE MADE QUITE A NAZI MESS."**

Taylor took a moment to process the awful, awful pun, and closed her eyes in despair. This…this was what she got. Forty thousand years of experience, and the Emperor came out with lines like that. Then again, considering how she had taunted Krieg, maybe she didn't have any ground to stand on.

' _I guess that it might be better, for the moment. But a real Force Weapon would be better, I could use it as a bat and boost it if I needed to.'_ She thought, trying to get the conversation back on track. The Emperor went quiet in her mind, in that particular fashion that indicated he was thinking.

 **"** **THE BAT WILL BECOME MORE ATTUNED TO YOU OVER TIME. IT WILL NOT BE NEARLY AS EFFECTIVE AS A PROPERLY FORGED FORCE WEAPON, BUT IT SHOULD SUFFICE. AND THE LOWER LETHALITY MAY BE USEFUL."**

 _'_ _True. I could do with something else, maybe, but that can wait until I've built up some money and reputation. A staff, perhaps, that isn't made of aluminium.'_

 **"** **IT ISN'T THE BEST METAL FOR CHANNELLING PSYCHIC POWER THROUGH, TRUE. YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO CRAFT YOUR OWN STAFF, TAYLOR."**

 _'_ _Make my own? This…this is gonna be some shamanistic skulduggery, isn't it?'_

 **"** **JUST ABOUT. IF YOU CREATE A STAFF FOR YOURSELF, OF WOOD AND BONE, IT MIGHT BE BETTER ABLE TO HOLD AND CHANNEL YOUR POWER. IT MIGHT NOT WORK AS WELL WITH THE 'HERO' IMAGE, BUT IT WILL INCREASE YOUR CAPACITY TO BRING YOUR POWERS TO BEAR. AND IT WILL BE USEFUL AS A WEAPON."**

' _Wood and bone…yeah, I could see how that might negatively affect my image. Animal bone though, that isn't as bad. Hmm, maybe.'_

Taylor put aside the thought of carving her very own wizards staff and started paying attention to her lesson again. She was keeping up a mild aura of being inconspicuous, but she didn't want to push it too far. That was the sort of thing that got capes noticed. Taylor instead paid minimal attention to the teacher- frankly, passing any test she was given would be easy. She had her own intellect, plus the genius level smarts of the Emperor, plus the ability to read minds. The problem would be answering the questions at a low enough level to not look suspicious. At least she could coast through this lesson: Computing was easy for her. Instead, Taylor chose to think through what she had done yesterday, and try to come up with a better plan. Two months of practise with her powers had been helpful, but she wouldn't manage much by hitting random targets. She needed to be more cunning than that.

' _Cut off the head and the body will fall.'_

 **"** **WORKS ON SNAKES. NOT SO MUCH, PERHAPS, ON HYDRA'S"**

 _'_ _What do you suggest, then?'_ Taylor asked in response, but there was nothing. Taylor fought back annoyance, knowing that the Emperor would not answer. Not until she had an answer herself. Taylor thought on it for the rest of the lesson, and when the bell rang she stood and walked out, still lost in thought. So lost in thought that she failed to notice the group of girls ahead of her until she bumped into one of them, and had to stagger back.

"Careful, Taylor. Clumsy of you." Emma said, her eyes gleaming oddly. Taylor blinked at her, and looked around the semi-circle that had trapped her. Madison and the miscellaneous minions looked vaguely interested, and Sophia had a strange look in her eyes. Anticipation, Taylor thought.

"No," she said slowly, "I wouldn't want to fall. That's kind of you to say, Emma."

Emma beamed, and there was something vicious about it. Taylor decided not to stay, and started walking: as she suspected the minion that she walked at wasn't willing to stay put, and she managed to slip out of the circle.

"What's wrong, Taylor? You seem upset." Emma said innocently. Taylor paused. That statement sounded wrong somehow, false. She hadn't showed a great deal of emotion, so why…

"So upset, in fact, that you're going to cry yourself to sleep for the next week?"

Taylor froze. Surprise turned to shock turned to seeping, bloody rage that boiled in her stomach. Emma had used it against her. Taken her week of grief at the death off her mother, and perverted it into a weapon to hurt her. Taylor clenched her fist, fighting against the rage that called to be used, and turned slowly. The girls were smiling, pleased, and Taylor nearly lost her control. It would be so easy. A psychic blow that would turn Sophia comatose, slam an enhanced fist through Emma's smiling, traitorous face. Slaughter the others as they tried to run, and a sudden image of her, red with blood and hate and rage, lightning swirling around her and Taylor repressed it all, forcing it down, hate and rage crystallising into a cold, hard shard that ripped at the inside of her chest.

"Thank you, Emma." She said, very quietly. Emma's look of triumph turned to confusion.

"Thank you?" she repeated stupidly. Taylor smiled gently, beatifically.

"Yes. Thank you. Before this, I still thought that you might be the person I used to know, somewhere deep inside. Before this I thought I might have you as my friend again. But now, you've proven me wrong. You've proven that you're not the person I remember, by using my mother's death against me."

Taylor felt Madison and the minions shift in surprise, and mentally tutted. They hadn't known. Typical. Still, that they seemed uncomfortable was a small point in their favour. Sophia was looking even hungrier, and Taylor skimmed through her mind to note that she expected Taylor to fight back. To hit them, to struggle, to vindicate Sophia's predator and prey mind-set. So instead Taylor looked at her, still smiling.

"Well. If that's all, Emma, I think I'm done here." She said, turning and walking away. Sophia would probably have moved, but Taylor left a strong compulsion to stay where they were for Sophia and Emma, and a need to question them in the minions and Madison. That would cover her escape as she left them, because she couldn't remain a moment longer. Taylor didn't go to her next lesson: instead she left the school entirely, bottling up her rage as best she could until she was away from any innocents who might get hurt.

* * *

Taylor walked home quickly, and headed into the basement where she stored her costume. Once there she locked the door and changed into her costume, leaving again in a hurry; her control was starting to slip, and tendrils of lightning were already beginning to play over her fingertips. She ran across the city, using alleys and rooftops to get to the Boat Graveyard as fast as possible without being seen. Once there she made her way into the tangle of wrecked and beached ships, until she would be hidden from sight, and let go of her control. Her scream of pain and fury was accompanied by a whirling vortex of lightning and telekinetic force that raked across the ships around her, tearing and scorching until she was surrounded by a blurring whirl of shrapnel. Taylor screamed until she ran out of breath and let her legs collapse, falling to her knees and dropping her head to stare blindly at the deck below her.

"I hate them." She said, aloud but quietly. She felt the Emperor extend a sensation of comfort, and smiled a little.

' _You would think I would understand. I can read their minds. I have all of your experience, even if most of it is barely even scraps of knowledge, and yet the cruelty of men still surprises me_.'

 **"** **THE CRUELTY OF MAN IS VAST. BUT SO IS THE KINDNESS, IF YOU CAN FIND IT."** The Emperor offered, and Taylor smiled a little more. A little cliché perhaps, but true nonetheless.

' _I can't leave school. Not after this. It would be weakness.'_

 **"** **I DON'T THINK ANYONE WOULD JUDGE YOU."**

 _'_ _It doesn't matter. I'm not doing this for anyone else, I'm doing it for me. And one day…one day, after I've broken the gangs. After I've defeated the parasite. After I've proven myself to be the greatest hero this world has ever seen, after I have demonstrated my power…one day, I'll stand before Emma and Sophia, and I'll take my mask off and let them see, let them know. And then…'_

Taylor brought her fingers up, touching gloved fingertips to her scarf and smiling more widely as she rose to her feet.

' _And then, I'll just smile and walk away. And they will know, they will understand, that in the end I was better.'_

The approval of the Emperor washed over her, and Taylor surveyed the destruction around her with a thoughtful eye.

' _That show will draw attention soon. We should leave…besides, I'm sure there are gang members in need of a good beating somewhere in the city.'_

* * *

There were plenty of gang members in need of a good beating in the city, but it didn't take Taylor long to realise that going looking for them in broad daylight was a terrible idea, and that she would be much better off waiting for dark. So, instead, she took off her coat, sweater, mask and scarf, stored them in her satchel, and went for a walk. Brockton Bay did actually have a few parks. Contrary to what many people on PHO seemed to believe the city wasn't a hellhole. Yes, it had one of the largest villain-to-hero disparities in America. Yes, it was home to the Neo Nazi Empire 88 and the ABB, two extremely formidable gangs. And yes, the villain Lung, who had defeated several hero teams single handed, lived in the city. So…well, ultimately it was a hellhole. But it wasn't a _complete_ hellhole. That was what mattered. And there was a park, with trees. And Taylor required a staff. Which required wood. And bone, but she was putting that off a little bit, due to it being, well, creepy. Regardless, it took her quite a few hours to find a branch that was good enough- as the Emperor noted, pollarded or coppiced trees of the right size weren't that common in the city parks. Still, she found a branch that was about right, severed it from the tree with her powers, and wandered out of the park with it.

 _'_ _How am I going to carve this thing? I'd need wood-working tools or something.'_

 **"** **THERE MUST BE A SHOP SOMEWHERE THAT WILL SELL WHAT YOU NEED. AND THE MONEY FROM THE GANGS IS JUST GOING TO WASTE RIGHT NOW."**

 _'_ _True enough. Wonder how they'll react to someone walking in in full costume?'_

* * *

As it turned out, the shopkeeper wasn't too phased. Well, he looked a little alarmed as she first walked in, but it was getting late- Taylor had gone home to eat and then left again, telling her Dad that she would be home soon- and the shop was nearly about to close. In fairness, Taylor suspected that parahumans wandering into shops in full dress were usually robbers. Nonetheless, she raised her hands in a pacifying manner, making it clear that she wasn't armed.

"It's ok, I'm just here for some tools. Thought it would be easier to get them in costume." She said, putting a smile into her voice. The clerk relaxed visibly, and even managed to push a small smile onto his face.

"Oh. Oh, well then, how can I help you?"

"Oh, I just need some wood-working tools. I can find them myself." She said, nodding to him and walking quickly through the shop. A knife, that was what she needed, a proper wood-working knife. There was a saw in the basement at home that she could use. It didn't take her too long, and she paid and left the shop without trouble. The street outside was growing dark, and Taylor wondered if she would find trouble. It would be nice, and yet inconvenient: she didn't have her bat on her. Oh well. If anyone wanted a fight, they would get one. Taylor half closed her eyes, stretching her mind out and looking for anything close. She would save people if she could reach them easily, but she had targets for tonight and could not afford to spend all of her time dealing with petty crimes.

 **"** **YOU HAVE A PLAN THEN?"** The Emperor asked. Taylor gave a mental affirmation.

' _I'm going to find out all their secrets. Their hideouts, their safehouses, their drug dens, their weapon stores. And I'm going to hit them, weaken their parahumans until the day I can leak it to The Protectorate and blitzkrieg the Empire. But until then…any dream will do.'_

There was a quiet chuckle in her mind, and Taylor acknowledged the irony in using a blitzkrieg strategy against neo-Nazis as she walked into an alley, mind still working to find a victim. It shouldn't be hard, should it? There were gangs everywhere, and surely she could find some lowlife who was preying on the weak and innocent. Or weak and guilty. Did it really matter? Taylor just really wanted to hurt someone, and there was definitely someone with nefarious intent not far away. Maybe a drug deal? Taylor liked breaking up drug deals, she had decided since yesterday. She leveraged her psychic powers and a fire escape to make it to the roof of a nearby building, and then started roof-hopping towards the five minds that she could feel in an alley close by. She slowed as she approached, her dark clothes helping her blend into the dark rooftop, and carefully made her way to the edge of the building. Looking down, she could see the five men: one man with a smug smile and a suit, two burly men just behind him. There was one man and one woman opposite him, both of them scrawny and looking desperate. Merchants, Taylor thought, drug addicts. Lucky, lucky her.

 **"** **WAIT."** The Emperor boomed in her head, and Taylor flinched as a buzzing filled her mind.

 _'_ _The hell is that?'_

 **"** **SOME KIND OF PSYCHIC INFLUENCE! WARD YOUR MIND!"**

Taylor gritted her teeth, directing some of her power inwards and pushing the buzzing from her thoughts. She looked around to see where it was coming from, and looked up just in time to see a figure in white drop from the skies into the alley. The figure landed between the two groups in a picture-perfect three-point landing, and Taylor narrowed her eyes.

' _Glory Girl, Brockton Bay's very own flying brick. I can see where she gets her reputation for collateral damage if she makes entrances like that all the time. And that psychic influence...very interesting. It doesn't seem to be conscious, either. That might be worth studying.'_ She observed, noting that the two drug addicts had been knocked over by the landing and were slow to get up. Taylor shifted herself so that she could jump down if needed, but for the moment decided to just watch. See how a true-blue Hero handled things.

"So," Glory Girl said with a beaming smile, "Are you all ready to give up?"

Amazingly, they were not. The man in the suit and his two minions all went for guns and Glory Girl lunged at them, and Taylor took the chance to drop down from the roof behind the fast ending brawl, cushioning her impact carefully. It might not be as dramatic, but it was also much quieter and didn't risk injuring anyone. Two gentle pulses of energy knocked out the addicts, and Taylor leaned against a wall and watched Glory Girl fight. She wasn't just a brawler, Taylor noticed, she seemed to know how to throw a punch at least, but she wasn't what Taylor would call an accomplished martial artist. Still, basic fighting knowledge in addition to super strength and invulnerability was an impressive package, and the three thugs went down quickly. Glory Girl made a pose, fists on hips, and Tylor smiled briefly, waiting for the right moment.

"Nice pose." She commented cheerfully, and took an unholy glee in the way Glory Girl jumped. Even more hilariously, the heroine didn't come back down: she remained floating about half a foot in the air as she spun around. Taylor raised a hand in a friendly manner.

"Hey."

Glory Girl had jerked away reflexively, but now she slowly descended and approached.

"Oh. Er, hi. You're that girl who helped the Wards, right? Circe, or Sir Kate, or, um…"

"Circaetus." Taylor supplied, amused. Glory Girl nodded jerkily.

"Yeah. Circaetus. Uh…what are you doing here?"

"Me? Oh, well I was looking for something to do. You just beat me to it. Nice work, by the way."

Glory Girl visibly brightened, and Taylor felt the buzzing in her head strengthen for an instant. Some kind of involuntary effect, she surmised.

"Really? Thanks! I was just waiting for the Wards, you see, 'cause I was going to patrol with them, and I saw these guys and thought I'd get a warm up in."

Taylor was nodding, listening, but as she listened she saw something. Just behind Glory Girl the suited man had stood up and levelled his pistol.

"Look out!" Taylor snapped, diving to one side. The pistol fired, deafeningly loud, and Glory Girl seemed to act on instinct. There was a meaty thud, and the man was suddenly airborne, travelling towards a wall far too fast. Taylor took an instant to register the panic on Glory Girl's face, and stretched out a hand. A web of telekinetic force wrapped around the man, slowing him enough that he thumped into the wall at a velocity that was far less terminal. Slowly, Taylor advanced: the man's jaw was a mess, broken in several places. Shattered, in fact, but he would live and, with appropriate treatment, even recover.

"I'd ring the police to collect these." Taylor suggested to Glory Girl, "And then we should go. You said you were meeting the Wards?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I will." Glory Girl said. She still looked shocked, and Taylor took a moment to probe her emotions. Remorse and guilt, she thought, odd. Almost as though Glory Girl had done this before, and was trying not to do it again. Taylor waited, thinking on that, as Glory Girl made the phone call and returned to her.

"Ok." The heroine said, sounding a little less rattled now, "The Wards should be over this way. Can you…do you need a lift to the rooftop?"

Taylor considered, and then swathed herself in an invisible cocoon of force and willed herself into the air.

"No," she said, smiling as her feet left the ground, "I think I can manage."

* * *

Once they found the Wards Taylor found it very easy to tell why Glory Girl had wanted to meet them. Given the way that she had sailed across to Gallant, Taylor guessed that the rumours that the two of them were dating were accurate. Gallant's partner was the small girl, Vista, and Taylor drifted across to talk to her once she noted the scowl the Ward in white and forest green was wearing.

"Vista, right?" she said, hoping that the young hero would be willing to talk to her. Vista turned to her, and a smile replaced the scowl under her visor.

"Yep! You're Circaetus, right? Clockblocker told us about you."

Taylor smiled at the sudden enthusiasm.

"All good, I hope?"

"He was really impressed. It's not often that a new cape turns up and can hold off someone like Krieg and Rune." Vista praised. Taylor shrugged.

"I caught them by surprise. I don't think they wanted to fight all three of us at once." She said, downplaying her accomplishments. The PRT and Protectorate were friendly now, but it was better that they think her unremarkable in case that ever changed. Vista didn't seem all that convinced, but she shrugged and let it go. The four of them had started moving, crossing rooftops: Glory Girl floated, of course, but Taylor, Vista and Gallant made use of Vista's power to affect space, narrowing the gaps so they could simply step between rooftops. If Taylor was honest, the actual mechanics of it were disturbing, so she tried not to look at the distorted space.

"So," Vista started, after a few minutes of quiet, "Why are you doing this? Why are you a hero?"

Taylor didn't answer immediately, searching her mind for an answer that wouldn't sound trite and cliché. It was harder than she might have thought.

"Because," she said eventually, "Because I can. Because it's the right thing to do. Because every single life that I can save, every single person that I help, makes a difference."

Vista, Gallant and Glory Girl all gave her long, silent looks, and she shrugged, a little embarrassed. Cliché as it was, it was the truth. She was the Guardian of Mankind. Even if she couldn't say it outright, she had taken up the mantle of the Emperor, and would do it justice. Gallant was the first to speak.

"You know, the Wards help people." He said. Taylor almost smiled: she had gotten a look at his thoughts, and he knew that she wasn't likely to join. He was making the offer out of duty.

"Are you making that offer because of the short lifespan of independent Heroes, or because the Protectorate would really appreciate a telekinetic?" she asked.

"Yes." Vista commented dryly. Taylor laughed.

"In that case, I'm going to have to say no for the moment. But I'll tag along with you if you like." She offered. Gallant smiled, and Taylor noted that his name was appropriate: even his thoughts seemed to match, given that they were mainly relief over her not going off on her own. No wonder poor Vista was smitten. Taylor looked at Gallant thoughtfully, remembering that he could see emotions. She wondered what he saw when he looked at her, and couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. How awkward must it be to see how Vista felt every time he looked at her? The girl was barely a teenager, at least three years younger than Gallant.

"So," Taylor said, changing the topic a little, "This is what you do all the time? Walk a patrol route and look imposing?"

Even as she said that, Taylor wondered which of them looked most imposing. Vista was out: no matter how dangerous she actually was, a short, slim girl in white and forest green was not threatening. Glory Girl wore white as well, of course, but taking away her reputation she looked like a princess. A Disney Princess, so maybe she was out. Gallant had his grey power armour, that was fairly menacing if he leveraged it, but Taylor suspected that her own dark clothes, with the golden double headed eagle on the chest, were more villainous and menacing. Plus, of course, if she was actively using her powers to any degree her eyes would glow that unnatural blue. All things considered, Taylor suspected that she would be a nightmare for the Protectorate PR department.

"More or less, yes. We aren't supposed to get into fights, really, we're just training, so we try to make the citizens feel safe." Gallant confirmed. Taylor nodded absently, a little distracted by all the cries for help that she could hear in her mind. Maybe patrolling with the Wards wasn't the greatest idea.

"Console to Gallant. Gallant, come in."

"Gallant here. What is it, console?"

"Merchants engaging Empire capes, not far from you. Miss Militia has requested that you move in that direction and observe the situation, see how much force we'll need."

"…understood, Control. We'll head over and scout. Gallant out."

Taylor retracted her previous statement. Merchants _and_ Empire? Oh, lucky day. She almost hoped that Krieg and Rune would be there, beating them again would really cement her place as a relatively heavy hitter. Of course, taking down other Empire capes would probably do that as well. But taking down Rune and Krieg would be like the start of a rivalry. Which she would win, of course. Taylor followed Gallant automatically, letting her legs carry her over the rooftops as she spread her powers and tried to identify the capes who were punching it up. Hmm…there were the three Merchants that she knew of, none of those should be a problem. And there was at least one Empire cape, maybe two. She'd need to get a little bit closer to see for certain.

"We should be there soon." Gallant said, breathing even as he ran. Taylor nodded, keeping pace with him, Glory Girl flying just overhead. Taylor had to admit, she liked the girl, but subtlety was not her strong point.

"What's the plan, Gallant?" Taylor asked. She would never join the Wards or Protectorate, but allowing him to take the lead had merits. She wasn't quite up to speed on every parahuman in the city, and he would know more. Besides, giving the impression of being willing to cooperate would go a long way. The young man in grey power armour glanced at her, and nodded slowly.

"We'll move up quietly, see who's there. We make our report, and don't engage unless we have no other choice." He decided. Taylor shrugged.

"Works for me. Lead on." She said cheerfully, already sure that the plan wouldn't work how Gallant wanted it to. Not with Glory Girl there, but still, she could play along. Taylor glanced discreetly at Vista: though she could tell from the small girl's thoughts that any blatant attempt at protecting her would be seen as babying and met with scorn, she was concerned. Glory Girl was invincible. Gallant was power armoured. Taylor herself would regenerate from anything given time. Vista was a teenager in a lightly armoured bodysuit. Taylor made a mental note to keep an eye on the younger Ward if everything kicked off as she expected it to. Taylor followed Gallant as he crept across to the edge of the building, her own dark clothing letting her blend in better than Gallant in his polished armour. Beneath them there was a battle going on.

"Control, this is Gallant. Have observed engagement. Skidmark, Mush and Squealer are fighting Victor and Alabaster. Advise?"

"Miss Militia and Dauntless are on their way. Do not engage unless necessary." Taylor heard the voice reply, and quashed a sigh. Watching was sort of boring, but she supposed it would let her assess her potential opponents. Although there wasn't really much fighting going on. Squealer was off in a corner, working on some…something that could charitably be called a truck. Mush, the parahuman who could compact garbage to create a sort of golem body for himself, was chasing Victor around, and Skidmark was keeping Alabaster at range. At least, that was what she assumed. From what she remembered Alabaster was invincible…or he regenerated…or, well, something like that, so Skidmark wasn't really doing much. And Victor seemed to be unnaturally well versed in parkour, and judging by the way fragments from Skidmark's wild attacks were bouncing off him he had some sort of toughness ability as well. Which really all boiled down to free reign for her to be excessive against them. Yay.

"Do not engage unless necessary, Gallant. Protectorate members are on their way. Continue to observe and report." She vaguely heard. But she was too busy plotting the best way to take down the five parahumans fighting below. She wasn't going to just jump in half-cocked. With any luck she could wait until the Protectorate got here and use them as a distraction. With any luck. And then she sensed a flicker of intent from the woman, Squealer, and a flash of her thoughts: a white figure, half showing above a roof, and a cannon, just repaired.

"I see you!" screamed the woman, a high pitched whining following. Taylor didn't even think, flinging herself at Vista moments before there was a thudding boom that she felt in her bones and the roof tilted violently.

"Fuck!" shouted Glory Girl, and Taylor registered her grabbing for Gallant as she took off. Taylor herself grabbed Vista, pulling the smaller girl close to her and reaching out with her powers.

"Hold on!" she cried, anchoring herself to the roof and directing it in a slide downwards. Taylor felt exhilaration burst through her as she rode the rooftop down the side of the building, cushioning the impact and rolling as she landed. She let go of Vista and snapped to her feet, just as Alabaster turned in shock and raised his knife. Taylor struck him in the chest with an open palm, putting enough telekinetic juice into it to give him airtime. The utterly white man ragdolled across the open space and hit a wall, and Taylor let out a circular blast of power that cleared the dust away.

"Hey." She said, nodding her head at the villains in greeting a bare moment before Glory Girl and Gallant landed heavily behind her.

"Console, we've been spotted. Suggest you inform the Protectorate; we may need reinforcements earlier than anticipated." Gallant said calmly behind her. Taylor watched with interest as Alabaster crawled out of the hole he had made in a wall, a look of fury plastered on his features.

"I'm going. To cut you up." He stated. Taylor grinned behind her mask, feeling power surge through her.

"Bring it, white boy."

And all hell broke loose.

* * *

Glory Girl hurtled towards Mush, and Taylor assumed that that was fair enough- the Merchant cape could presumably take a beating. Gallant ran towards Victor, and Taylor found herself mixing it up in hand-to-hand combat with Alabaster. The pure white man- and wasn't that appropriate for a Neo-Nazi- was reasonably skilled with his knife, but not that skilled. Taylor caught a wild swing with her left hand, fingers closing around Alabaster's wrist and holding it still while her right fist, charged with telekinetic power, struck the region of his elbow. From the noise the entire arm bone shattered, and Taylor sent Alabaster back to the building he had climbed out of with a similarly charged kick. To her surprise, however, Alabaster did not rush at her when he once again emerged from the rubble. Instead, Victor ran across to him and dropped something- a small thing, like a grenade or…

"Flashbang!" Vista yelled, and Taylor instinctively hit the ground and dropped her face to the dirt. The noise and light that followed was still blinding and deafening, but she was less disorientated than she might have been and regained her feet fairly quickly. Glory Girl returned to her side, cursing and dragging Gallant, and the four of them faced off against Skidmark and Mush. Taylor decided to try some diplomacy. It was somewhere between unlikely and impossible that it would work, but trying couldn't hurt.

"Give up now, Merchants, and you won't be hurt." She said. Skidmark sneered, dark skin and chafed lips peeling back to show slimy, rotting teeth. Taylor shuddered a little inside.

"Go fuck yourself, you little-"

"Vista get me close!"

The space between Taylor and Skidmark narrowed to nothing, and she drove her fist into his face. Only with a minimum of power behind it- she didn't want to punch his head off after all- but enough to send him staggering. Taylor caught his flailing wrist with her left hand, holding him closer to her where she could throw in a beating. Older and taller than her he might be, but he was also a skinny drug addict with no combat experience other than street brawling, and she mercilessly exploited every weakness he showed. A fist slammed into chest, stomach, chin, shoulder and then Skidmark howled and hit her back. His free arm motioned, and the floor beneath her feet suddenly became slippery and Taylor let go of him as she slid backwards, converting the motion into a roll.

"Damn!" she hissed, realising that Skidmark had used his powers against her- he was able to lay down 'streaks' that either accelerated or decelerated objects that touched them. Usually they made a cut price railgun, but in this case he had used it to move her off him. Mush ran clumsily over to Skidmark, and Taylor saw Glory Girl flash past, heading at Mush. Skidmark was grinning, and Taylor felt an awful flash of premonition.

"Glory, don't-"

Too late. Glory Girl was passing over multiple layers of bluish streaks, and Mush swung at her with a heavy overhead blow. Glory Girl caught the blow on crossed arms, but it forced her to the ground where she seemed stuck for a long moment, struggling against the layered power pushing against her. Mush stepped away, firm on solid ground, and swung a fist. Taylor moved on instinct, shoving Vista away just as the blow broke Glory Girl's concentration long enough for Skidmark's power to hurl her away. The heroine in white hit Taylor like a freight train, and Taylor _heard_ a bone in her left arm break with a dry, crunching snap.

"Argh!"

Taylor wasted no time, pushing Glory Girl off her and rising again. Her left arm was limp and screaming with pain, but she blocked it out. She just didn't have time to feel pain, she decided even as Mush, in a surprisingly quick motion, sprang away from Skidmark and downed Gallant with a single crushing blow. The Ward was still conscious and even mostly unhurt, but he was on the ground a mere foot away from the hulking golem form of Mush. Skidmark was laughing, and Taylor felt an awful, boiling rage rise up inside her, screaming at her to _take his skull and bathe in his blood and_ Taylor barely fought it down again and concentrated.

"See! See, this is what you get, bitches! You try to fuck with the Merchants, you get fucked! Have a nice time in the hospital, you fucking whoreson cu-"

"Skidmark!" Taylor bellowed, cutting off the ranting man. She thrust her right arm out, pointing it at Mush and focusing.

"There are children present, so watch your _fucking language!"_

She didn't wait for a response, curling her fingers into a claw and whipping her hand at Skidmark. Her power responded, howling in her veins, and it simply tore about two thirds of Mush's garbage body away and hurled it at Skidmark. The Merchant leader hardly had a second to react before he was buried under a deluge of refuse, and Taylor was already on Mush, hitting the Merchant cape with a telekinetically charged fist as he started to fall. Mush sailed several feet back, his body disintegrating around him, and Taylor turned to Squealer. Who had aimed that massive cannon again.

"Oh, _fuck."_ Taylor commented, realising that she may be testing the full extent of her status as a Perpetual sooner than she liked. The cannon whined as it powered up, and Taylor gritted her teeth and raised the strongest barrier that she could. The very air seemed to shimmer, and then there was a flash of white as Glory Girl flung herself in front of Taylor and covered her. There was a deep, roaring boom, and the world went white.

* * *

"Circaetus! Cir-"

"I'm fine." Taylor said gruffly. The pain in her arm came back twice as bad as she opened her eyes, and she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood in order to prevent herself from crying out. She awkwardly sat up and rose, wobbling only briefly before she stabilised and looked at Vista, who was hovering nearby a little nervously.

"What happened?"

"Squealer fired that cannon. It did something weird, like a sonic shock or something. Glory Girl blocked most of it- she's fine, invulnerable and all- but it knocked you out. You've only been out for a few minutes, but the Merchants piled into the truck and ran away. I would have followed, but with you two down and Gallant still shaken by Mush…"

"Yeah. Yeah, I get it. We'll get them next time." Taylor said, understanding and driving some optimism into her tone. Vista smiled a little.

"Are you ok?" she asked. Taylor nodded.

"I'm fine."

Vista looked sceptical, and Taylor relented.

"I'm not fine. My arm is broken, I think." She admitted, looking around and seeing Glory Girl and Gallant deep in conversation with a man in Greek looking armour. Dauntless, she thought.

"He just arrived. Gallant is the senior Ward, so he's giving a report, and Glory Girl was the only one of you two awake so…well, y'know." Vista informed Taylor. Taylor nodded, gritting her teeth as she focused her powers on blocking the pain in her arm. Her head was pounding, but she wasn't sure if it was from excessive use of her power or the Merchant cannon. Silently, Taylor swore that she'd put Squealer down first the next time she saw the bitch. The Emperor chuckled deeply in her mind, but otherwise remained quiet. Taylor leaned against a wall and closed her eyes, absently timing her pulse to the throbbing in her head and arm. It didn't really help the pain, but it distracted her a little bit.

"Circaetus, right?" came a voice. Taylor opened her eyes and straightened slowly, blinking at the armoured Hero who was addressing her.

"Yes. Yes, that's me. Dauntless, right?"

"Yes. I just wanted to introduce myself, and say thanks for your help." The man said. A cursory scan of his thoughts offered no deceit- the man was a Hero in deed and mind as well as title- and accepted his outstretched hand, shaking it briefly and firmly.

"It was my pleasure." She said, managing to make the platitude sound sincere. In all fairness, beating on Krieg and Rune had been fun, and even this fight hadn't been too bad. She sensed that Dauntless was smiling.

"Well, I'm glad that you think so." He said. He glanced around himself.

"Normally, I'd have to ask you a lot of question, debriefing, that sort of thing. However, in this case I think I can let it go- you should get your arm looked at. In any case…thank you, again, and I look forward to working with you again in the future."

The armoured Hero strode away, and Taylor looked at Glory Girl and Vista, who were standing nearby.

"You need to get that arm looked at, like Dauntless said. I'll take you to my sister." Glory Girl said firmly, seeming serious. Taylor just nodded, but found the energy to raise a hand in farewell to Vista and Gallant.

"I'm sure we'll be working together again, so I'll see you whenever I see you." She offered. Vista nodded, and both she and Gallant waved as Glory Girl carefully wrapped her arms around Taylor and lifted her into the night sky.

* * *

Panacea, the world-famous healer, was not what Taylor might have expected. Or perhaps, as an insidious part of her nature whispered, it was exactly what she expected. Worn, tired, boiling with resentment and guilt, Panacea was clearly suffering from being used as a miracle cure from a young age. Taylor almost flinched, and carefully didn't dig any deeper. The girl needed therapy, and Taylor was in no condition to provide it right now. Maybe in no condition ever, considering the life that The Emperor had led.

"Vic- Glory Girl? Who is this?" Panacea said. Taylor didn't comment on the near slip, instead stepping away from Glory Girl and letting the heroine in white talk to her sister.

"This is Circaetus. She, uh, got hurt because of me so I was hoping…"

Panacea looked at Glory Girl, and Taylor could _feel_ the narrowed eyes.

"Got hurt because of you?" she asked. Glory Girl looked uncomfortable, so Taylor intervened.

"Skidmark and Mush used her as an impromptu projectile. She's invincible, I'm not." She said, concise and calm. Panacea turned a judging look on her, and Taylor stood still, gazing back. Of course, they couldn't quite meet eyes, given that Panacea wore a hooded costume, but the intention was there. The Healer broke first, giving a heavy sigh.

"Do I have your permission to heal you?" she asked tiredly. Taylor paused.

"You do. But…you don't need to." She said, quietly. Panacea and Glory Girl both looked at her, sharply.

"What do you mean?" Panacea asked. Taylor shrugged one shoulder- her right, naturally, so as to not jar her injured arm.

"I heal quicker than normal. I'm sure I can pass this off as an accident, anyway." She said. Really, she had only offered because Panacea seemed stressed. The healer seemed to mull it over, then shook her head.

"It'll only take a minute. Besides, you clearly don't heal that quickly. I just need to touch bare skin."

Taylor sighed a little- at least she had tried. Gingerly, she rolled up her sleeve, and allowed Panacea to lay a hand on her wrist. The muffled gasp from the healer wasn't something she missed, but Panacea seemed to ignore anything else before healing the injury- Taylor grimaced a little as her bones shifted and ground back into position.

"Thank you." She said quietly, stepping back and slowly flexing her arm. Panacea nodded slowly.

"Circaetus…are you aware of what your healing factor does?" she asked, leaning in and speaking quietly. Taylor nodded curtly.

"Keeps me in the prime of my life. Slow regeneration, but complete." She admitted. Panacea seemed uncertain, and Taylor gently touched her shoulder.

"I know the ramifications. And I'd appreciate it if you kept this to yourself?"

Panacea twitched, almost as though shocked.

"Of course." She said, her voice regaining some briskness.

"Do you need Glory Girl to help you home, or-"

"I can manage. Thank you for the healing, Panacea. I hope that next time we meet it will be a little less work related." Taylor said, offering a bow of her head and stepping to the edge of the building.

"I'll see you around." She said over her shoulder, before she stepped off the edge and let her power carry her gently to the ground.

* * *

Over the next few weeks Taylor met Glory Girl and the Wards a few more times. Oddly, she never met Clockblocker or Kid Win again, but she did meet Vista, Aegis and Gallant on a few occasions. She continued her one-woman campaign against the Empire, wearing away at them for the time when she would strike and bring their whole dream crashing down, but she also got her hands on a cheap cell phone. It simply made it much easier to contact Glory Girl when needed. And given that the phone was vibrating in her breast pocket in the middle of a class, she was needed. Taylor quickly made an excuse of needing to go to the toilet and headed off, locking herself in a cubicle and shrouding the whole bathroom in a masking field similar to the one she used to avoid drawing attention.

"Glory Girl?" she said, answering the phone. The babble she got in return caused her to raise her voice, injecting some steel into her tone.

"Glory! Calm down, I can't hear you." She said. There was a pause, and then Glory Girl spoke again.

"Circaetus. The Undersiders are robbing a bank. My _sister_ is in there, being held hostage. I'm on my way and so are the Wards, but-"

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Taylor promised, mind already working. Robbing a bank? How very, very bold of the small time villain gang. Ah well. Looked like it was time for Circaetus to get her full time daylight debut.

* * *

 ** _So, as always I hope that you enjoyed and, of course, reviews are greatly appreciated._**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Not my stuff.**

* * *

Taylor moved as fast as she could, skipping over rooftops in full costume and cursing the time it had taken her to get home and change. The motion taxed her far less than it had: her powers were growing at a steady rate, something that she was glad of. She held her carved staff in her right hand, using it to help channel her psychics. She continued moving, unnaturally fast, but there was a sinking feeling in her stomach that told her she might be too late. It was a long way from Winslow School to Brockton Bay Bank, and longer with a trip home for her gear. But Glory Girl was hot-headed and impetuous and Panacea was fragile and she needed to be there.

" **YOUR DETERMINATION AND COMPASSION ARE PRAISEWORTHY, BUT ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THIS? DO YOU EVEN KNOW THE POWERS OF THESE…UNDERSIDERS?** " The Emperor rumbled in her head. Taylor shook her head.

' _No. No, I don't know their powers. I haven't really looked, that's something I'll have to rectify_.' Was her mental reply. The Emperor grunted in amusement.

" **POWER YOUR WAY THROUGH THEN."** He noted. Taylor leapt off a roof, calling her power to help her sail through the air, and landed smoothly on another roof, almost ten feet away.

' _That was my plan.'_ She responded, knowing that she was close to the bank now. One final leap, and she landed on a roof with a view of the bank. Or at least, if there wasn't a massive bank of darkness rolling ominously across the street there would have been a view of the bank.

"Fantastic. They started without me." Taylor commented, before taking a step and letting herself drop to the ground. She landed softly, her mind spreading out and marking the positions of everybody in the darkness from habit. Wards, a couple. Undersiders, two of. And three other minds that were far simpler. Animals? Something like that.

' _I don't have enough information for this.'_ Taylor lamented as she walked into the cloud of inky black, idly spinning her staff in her hand. Inside the cloud it was completely dark, and silent, and Taylor smiled.

' _An excellent intimidation power. I wonder if I could replicate it?'_

Taylor shook her head, returning her attention to the actual fight that was going on. From what she could tell, the two Undersiders were making good use of the fog: obviously they could see through it. Taylor let a frown cross her face, then located Vista. She couldn't just rush in and hope to power through here, she needed to know what was going on. Taylor twitched slightly as she registered one of the lesser minds moving. Moving towards Vista. Moving _fast._ Taylor swore mentally and started to run.

"Vista!"

The oily, choking darkness must muffle sound. Vista wasn't responding, turning and shifting. Maybe she realised that something was coming for her? Who knew. Taylor kept running, pushing herself to be faster. The lesser mind was closing fast, but so was she. Taylor burst through the darkness to where Vista was, twisted, swung her staff with both hands. The butt of the staff connected with something, and Taylor poured power through it. There was a yelp, and the lesser mind hurtled back into the murk before Taylor could take more than a glance at it. Taylor reached out- she tried to call Vista's name, but the sound was muffled and she wasn't sure whether or not the Ward heard. The way that Vista hit her when Taylor grabbed her shoulder indicated that she _definitely_ hadn't heard. It really wasn't fair that a thirteen-year old baseline human could hit that hard, a small part of Taylor reflected as she dragged herself closer to the struggling Ward and put her mouth to the smaller girl's ear.

"Vista! It's me, Circaetus, stop struggling!"

The Ward stopped slamming an elbow into Taylor's side- thankfully- and Taylor let the small girl out of her grip and considered trying to psychically push the darkness away. The clinging, almost oily nature of the cloud made her feel like it would be pointless, but it might be worth a try. Just as she was gathering her power she felt a change in the darkness, and it suddenly shredded, breaking apart and leaving her in the light once again. Now that she could see the field, it was less than encouraging.

"Well, that isn't good." Vista remarked, looking at the display. Taylor narrowed her eyes at the sight of Clockblocker's white costume torn and liberally smeared with blood.

"Vista, Clock-"

"He switched with Aegis to try and confuse them. Obviously it didn't work." Came the curt reply. Taylor inclined her head slightly.

"Obviously." She murmured, scanning the ground with her eyes until she saw the rust-red and silver of Aegis' costume, tangled with the brighter red and gold of Kid Win. There was a story in that, she reckoned, but it would have to wait. There were bad guys…well, maybe not bad guys, as such. But villains. That was better. There were villains to crush.

"So, who's who in this mess?" Taylor asked. Vista raised her hand, indicating as she spoke.

"The big guy in the skull mask is Grue. He's the one with the darkness. The one by the dogs is Hellhound, she's something to do with them. The monsters are her dogs, and the guy in armour facing off against Browbeat is new."

"Browbeat?" Taylor asked.

"Point blank telekinetic. New Ward."

Taylor smiled behind her mask.

"Oh, you've already gotten your very own cut price me? That's adorable." She commented. Vista sighed.

"Reign in your ego. At the very least, save it until we've managed to deal with this." She chided, though there was some amusement in there as well. Taylor shrugged and scanned the field again. Aegis was down, but he was at least distracting two of the dogs. Grue was looming over Kid Win and Clockblocker, so he would need to be dealt with. Gallant was facing off against Hellhound and her last dog- hopefully the power armoured Ward could deal with that. And Browbeat should be able to distract the Undersider in power armour- presumably a Tinker with some combat ability.

"Right. We need to punch a hole so I can get to the bank. Panacea's in there, and from the hole I'd say Glory is too. If her sister's in danger she might not be subtle, and that could definitely end badly." Taylor said, shifting slightly and eyeing Hellhound. She would need to be first, her dogs provided most of the muscle, and taking her out would free Gallant to take Grue.

"Alright. Vista, can you distract Grue? I'll help Gallant against Hellhound, then he can help you while I hit the bank."

"You'll hit the bank? Not him?"

"Honestly? I daresay he might be better at calming Glory down, but I can sure manage to contain her better than him if needed. And I can take a hit a lot better."

Vista conceded that with a quiet mumble, and Taylor narrowed her eyes at Hellhound.

"On your signal, Vista."

The short Ward glanced at Taylor and nodded.

"Alright. Three, two, one, go!"

Taylor pushed off the ground, hitting a sprint almost immediately and hurtling towards Hellhound. The stocky woman in the cheap dog mask pointed and shouted, her voice raspy.

"Hurt!"

The massive rhino-dog-lizard whatever rushed towards Taylor. She gauged the distance, gathered her power. It drew closer. Taylor planted her staff into the ground and the dog leaped just as she used the staff as an anchor, swinging herself around it. Her feet left the ground, and her left foot hit the dog monster with a devastating, psychic augmented kick. Something snapped and crunched, the dog howled and sailed across, hitting one of its companions. From the corner of her eye Taylor saw Aegis lurch up and grab onto the last remaining dog, but she was preoccupied with Hellhound, who had given a howl of incoherent rage and anguish and rushed at her.

"A mistake." Taylor coldly stated, stepping forward as the Undersider drew close. Hellhound was stocky, and likely strong but she was undisciplined and filled with anger. Taylor gave that rage a mental nudge, pushing it just a little further so that it filled Hellhound's existence, and the villain screamed hoarsely and threw a strong, sloppy punch. Taylor pushed power to her hand and caught it.

A moment of stunned, silent shock as gloved hand closed over fist, and then Taylor let go of her staff and slammed her free fist into Hellhounds stomach, hard enough that it sank into flesh and let her lift the Undersider from the ground. The snarling scream turned to one of pain as Hellhounds feet left the ground, bent agonisingly over Taylors fist. The blow wasn't fatal or even permanently damaging, Taylor had enough skill and self-restraint to manage that, but it was enough to cause excruciating pain. Taylor let go of Hellhounds fist and pushed her backwards, waiting until Hellhound hit the ground. Taylor heard her vomit even as she curled into a foetal position, so she simply left her there, striding towards the bank again and pulling her staff back into her hand with a brief application of power.

"Circaetus behind you!"

Taylor turned at Vista's shout, her staff coming up defensively on reflex but the incoming fist was too close and too fast and Taylor was sent staggering by the heavy blow crashing into her jaw. Her hands came up automatically, her staff swinging, but her assailant was too close too fast too strong and a fast one-two punch got through her guard. The first, to her chest, knocked her back again and the second hit her mouth and she fell and a spark of panic-fuelled rage boiled in her until it manifested as a blast of force that hurled the big man in black away. Taylor rolled to her feet, shaking her head and grimacing as she felt pain in her lower lip. Her nose hurt as well, and she could feel blood soaking into the scarf portion of her mask. The Undersider- Grue- he had hurt her. Had _shed_ her _blood._ She would _show him the price of wounding her. The price in blood and skulls and-_

 ** _"_** **TAYLOR."** The Emperor boomed in her head, breaking her out of her momentary daze. Taylor shook her head again, clearing away the last of the sudden bloodlust, and focused on Grue.

' _Right. He's good, but I just have to get him out of the way. Gallant can deal with him.'_

Taylor brought her staff back into her hand, crouching slightly and holding the staff in both hands, like a spear. Grue had taken on a fighting stance himself, but Taylor could feel wariness in his mind, and she smiled. Wariness was good. It meant he saw her as a threat, and nothing stroked the ego quite like that did.

 **"** **HIT HARD, HIT FAST AND HURRY TO THE GIRL."** The Emperor advised. Taylor sent a mental nod back and burst into action, crossing the distance between Grue and her in a few strides and thrusting the staff hard at his stomach. Grue swung an arm, grabbing for the staff but Taylor pulled back, jerking away and thrusting again, aiming for his face this time. The Undersider flinched away, spinning himself out of the line of the staff even as darkness began to billow from his body and Taylor frowned behind her mask. If Grue was aware enough to realise that she could project her powers from her staff then he would be more of a problem. Taylor glanced across and registered Gallant approaching fast, just before the darkness closed around her.

 _'_ _Get him out of the darkness.'_ She told herself, before closing her eyes and focusing on Grue's mind. He was closing fast, coming from her left, and clearly he could see through the darkness. Taylor grimaced briefly, realising that she could tell the direction he was coming from but not exactly how he was going to attack. Well, guessing it was.

 **"** **TRY AND GRAPPLE HIM. YOU ARE STRONGER EVEN IF HE'S BIGGER."** The Emperor advised as she turned and brought her arms up defensively. The first punch hit her hastily raised arms, sending a ringing pain through them, but the second slipped through and hit her stomach. Taylor coughed as the breath rushed out of her, swinging wildly but Grue had already retreated into the darkness.

' _Damn he's good.'_

Taylor sucked in a breath, suppressing the pain in her stomach in favour of trying to locate Grue. He was going to come in swinging again, she thought, use his greater reach and the advantage of the darkness to hold him off. The Emperor was right, she needed to find a way to keep him close. This was going to hurt, she gloomily reflected as Grue's mind approached at a rapid pace and she dropped her staff and moved her hands, just enough to look like she was trying to block while leaving a good opening.

Impact. Oh yeah, that really hurt and a rib was probably fractured and her left hand clamped onto Grue's arm while her right buried itself in his stomach and even if his costume soaked much of the impact it was good enough to stagger him and Taylor fastened onto his costume and spun and lifted and threw and dragged in a deep, painful breath as she heard him land hard. Gallant was already on the Undersider, and Vista was holding off Hellhound with ease while Browbeat brawled with the unknown Undersider so Taylor set off for the bank at a sprint. Her rib- ribs? She wasn't sure- screamed at her but she pushed away the pain. Misdirection. Misdirection, she knew so she ran in the darkness, aiming for a window close to the mind that she had classed as one of the Undersiders, one with oddly stunted emotions. Psychopath? Sociopath? The Emperor had never been able to remember which was which, and Taylor decided it didn't matter as she sent a pulse of power to burst open the doors in a feint and dived for the window.

"Regent!"

The yell of alarm sounded a just as she crashed through the window but it was too late. Taylor landed, rolled through the shards and rose in a lunging motion, sucker punching the Undersider in white even as he turned, sceptre clumsily raised. The sceptre- a taser, his mind informed her- was in his hand still, so she grabbed his arm, forced her thumb over his to push the button and jammed the active end into his neck. She left him spasming on the ground, at the very least incapacitated, and directed her gaze to the rest of the bank.

"You started without me. I'm almost offended." She deadpanned. The sheer lack of response was disappointing, but she did note that maybe it wasn't the time for quips. Glory Girl was hovering slightly, glaring at the girl in black and purple who was holding someone who Taylor vaguely recognised as Panacea- it was hard to tell, the healer preferred to stay low-key when out of costume. A few remaining hostages cowered by the walls, probably intimidated by the presence of the parahumans, especially given that the Undersider was holding a gun to Panacea's head and Glory Girl was emitting an aura that could be accurately described as murderous. Just as an experiment, Taylor relaxed her mental barriers that she always kept up to prevent Glory Girl's unconscious aura from detecting her and blinked.

' _Wow. That is quite the rage she has going.'_ Taylor mentally commented as she restored her barriers. The Emperor grunted in agreement.

 **"** **DO YOU THINK YOU CAN TALK THEM DOWN?"**

 _'_ _I can definitely try.'_

"So, I'm going to assume that negotiations aren't going that well." Taylor started cheerfully. Glory Girl didn't look at her, and Panacea- or was it Amy, when out of costume? Definitely a question to ask later- was too busy scowling and muttering threats, but the Undersider in black and purple did. There was a sparkle of amusement in her eyes.

"Oh, hello. Circaetus, right? You're just in time for family history time. New Wave's, obviously, not mine."

"That sounds delightful, but I'm guessing that Glory and Panacea aren't as enthusiastic about it as you." Taylor responded. A smile showed on the Undersider, her mouth uncovered by her costume.

"No, they don't seem to be. Family secrets and all that." She replied pleasantly. Taylor shifted slightly to keep Glory Girl in her line of sight, carefully extending a trickle of her power to soothe the rage that Glory Girl felt. Unethical, maybe, but there were too many hostages to risk the New Wave heroine to flying off the handle. The Undersider started to talk again.

"Although we all have secrets. I get that. But, I just want to share them. Share other people's secrets. Get it all out in the open, to help them."

Tattletale, that was the Undersiders name. Taylor had finally remembered it.

"That's why you're called Tattletale then. Cute. But talk is cheap, and I'm not so easy to unnerve." Taylor responded, while sizing up her opponent. Tattletale was holding Panacea very still, the gun unwavering, but Taylor could feel her doubt. It was a good thing really, because if there hadn't been doubt in the villain's mind Taylor would have already killed her. It wouldn't even be hard to turn Tattletale comatose, a single crushing instant of willpower would suffice. But she held off, for the moment, because a trump card was best kept hidden for as long as possible.

"Bullets are cheap as well." Tattletale commented idly, edging backwards and pulling Panacea with her. Taylor narrowed her eyes.

"You won't do it." She said, confidently. A smirk curved Tattletale's lips.

"Won't I?" she asked in response. Taylor smiled behind her mask.

"No. You won't. Because if you hurt Panacea, Glory will turn you into a chunky smear on the wall, and everyone here will attest that you did it to yourself."

Taylor wasn't lying- altering memories to make it seem like Tattletale had used a Tinker device that had malfunctioned was well within her capabilities at this point. Even better, the only villain Tinkers in Brockton Bay had a tendency towards explosive or otherwise shoddy equipment.

"And besides that, why would you risk earning the ire of every Hero and most villains for a job you don't even want to be doing?" Taylor added. Tattletale twitched, just a little.

' _Got you there.'_ Taylor thought smugly.

"What makes you say that?" Tattletale replied after barely a moment. She was good, Taylor would admit, but good did not quite cancel out Taylor's ability to read minds when she was focused.

"All in your body language, darling." Taylor said, shifting a fraction to keep Tattletale in full view a she sensed Regent's mind stir. A tiny gesture applied just enough psychic force to keep him down, without being too obvious.

"Body language? You're lying." Tattletale responded, but there was a slight uncertainty in her tone. Taylor picked up on it, but she wasn't sure that Panacea or Glory Girl did.

"Am I? That reminds me, what exactly is your power? You seem very certain of what you're saying." She said. Tattletale smiled again, and Taylor felt the villain's thoughts settle.

"My power? Why would you ask that?" she asked, still backing away. Taylor held out her arm to keep Glory Girl from rushing forwards.

"Oh, well, you were talking about secrets that people have. And you seemed very sure that I was lying before."

Tattletale smiled wider.

"Trying to get me monologuing, Circaetus?"

Taylor offered a shrug.

"Really, time is on my side here. Your pals are distracted by the Wards, I can easily afford to wait until the Protectorate realises what's going on and comes fireballing in here."

' _Fireballing? That's not mine.'_

 **"** **I'VE BEEN A LOT OF THINGS OVER THE YEARS. THAT SLANG IS SOME OF MINE."**

 _'_ _No kidding.'_

"I'm a lot more inclined to think that my colleagues will be the ones bursting in. But since I'd like to buy time as well, I might as well indulge you. The truth is…I'm psychic."

There was a pause.

 _'_ _I haven't missed something, have I?'_ Taylor questioned, just checking.

 **"** **NO. SHE MIGHT BE ABLE TO FAKE IT, BUT THE ONLY PSYCHIC IN THE ROOM IS YOU. US. WHICHEVER."**

 _'_ _Thought so.'_

Glory Girl scoffed.

"Bullshit. The brainpower you'd need to interpret and decode someone's unique neural patterns would need a head five times the normal size to contain it all. True psychics can't exist."

Taylor forced herself not to turn her head and stare incredulously. In a world where men could literally bend lasers around corners, and casually violate the laws of physics, nature and-slash-or existence at will, why should psychic powers conform to the mould? Tattletale, Taylor noticed, had said much the same, but with more mockery aimed at Glory Girl. Although, in fairness Taylor suspected that her mind-reading ability and indeed the vast majority of her mental powers worked at a more metaphysical level. There wasn't any electrical impulse interpretation that she'd ever noticed, it was either like listening to an internal monologue or, for people who didn't have one- most people, actually- catching flickers of sights and smells and feelings and interpreting those. It just took practice. And the appropriate power. She thought. It was hard to really put it into words and she had better pay attention to what was going on.

"So, now that we've shared our powers and histories and motivations, why don't we go back to negotiating?" Taylor said cheerfully, deciding to put any deep, philosophical considerations about the nature of her powers on the back-burner for now. Maybe forever. Some questions were best left unanswered.

"Yes, negotiations. Feel free to begin." Tattletale invited. Taylor felt that she might be able to like the Undersider if they hadn't been on opposite sides.

"Well, I'd say that letting go of Panacea would be a real good start." She said, increasing the pressure on Regent just a little as he tried harder to stand. Glory Girl glanced at her.

"Circaetus, are you sure we can trust her?" she asked in an undertone

"Better we let her go with none of the hostages harmed." Taylor replied, just as softly. She was extremely glad that her soothing attempts were working, it would make this a lot easier if Glory Girl and Panacea weren't making threats.

"Yes, I'd agree it would help. But honestly, I'd prefer to get out of here without being arrested, so why don't we try a little carrot on your side?" Tattletale asked. Taylor narrowed her eyes at her.

"Stalling. You're stalling. Why is that?" she asked. Tattletale's eyes widened fractionally, and Taylor felt worry race through the Undersider's thoughts. Taylor tilted her head, thinking, and then nodded.

"Oh. Of course. You're waiting for Grue to pull himself back together. After all, he has the perfect ability for making escapes." She concluded, before crooking her hand at Regent and _pulling_ with her power. The slight Undersider flew through the air with a muffled yelp, and Taylor casually tasered him again with the sceptre he had loosely clutched in his hand, before wrapping an arm around his neck and holding him up.

"Circaetus? What are you-"

"Leverage, Glory, in case Grue does indeed turn up. Now we both have a hostage." Taylor said, hiding the fact that she could feel Grue, just outside the windows. He must have beaten down Gallant. Tattletale frowned, but didn't say anything. No 'You wouldn't hurt him, you're a Hero' protestation. Maybe she really did have something along the lines of psychic powers.

"So, what do you suggest, exactly?" the Undersider asked, quite calmly. Taylor shrugged.

"I give you Regent. You give Glory Panacea, and you get a two-minute head-start."

"Five minutes."

"Not a chance. Three."

"Uh, Circaetus? Why are we giving them a head-start?" Glory Girl interrupted. Taylor shrugged.

"Sometimes you just have to take your wins when you can get them." She responded, and Glory Girl nodded after a brief consideration. She would probably be able to catch a Tattletale burdened by Regent anyway, had Grue not been close by. Taylor knew that they would probably escape, but millennia of experience that wasn't strictly hers told her that there was an opportunity here. Tattletale didn't seem happy with this job, at all, and that suggested a bigger boss. Letting the Undersiders go might well give her a lead to him or her.

"So an exchange and a running start? You're too kind." Tattletale said, though Taylor sensed that it was just to buy her a moment to think. She would probably accept though.

"I assume the head start only extends to me?" Tattletale added. Taylor chuckled and nodded.

"If they aren't here, no start. Grue, Hellhound, the Tinker, they'll all have to manage alone."

Taylor paid very close attention to Tattletale's emotions as she named them, and felt a spike of aggression- or maybe not aggression, wariness? Dislike? Negativity, anyway- at the mention of the Tinker. Priority target, Taylor told herself.

"Chariot, the Tinker is called. And Hellhound prefers Bitch." Tattletale said, masking her dislike of the newly named Chariot commendably. Taylor nodded agreeably and waited.

"I have your word that you will give me the start? Both of you?"

"Yes, I promise. Glory?"

Glory Girl shifted slightly, hovering a fraction, and then nodded reluctantly.

"All right." She conceded. Tattletale smiled again.

"Well then, we have a bargain." She chirped. Taylor nodded.

"On three?" she asked, adjusting her hold on Regent so that she could throw him.

"On three." Agreed Tattletale, before she counted down. Taylor waited for the count, let Tattletale push Panacea away from her before shoving Regent at the purple and black dressed Undersider. Tattletale grunted as she caught Regent- despite his slender frame the white dressed villain was barely conscious and would be nearly a dead weight. Glory Girl caught Panacea, hugging her sister to her and glaring at Tattletale.

"I suggest you make use of your three minutes. I reckon that Glory will be the one chasing you." Taylor commented, indicating the angry heroine with a thumb. She was starting to unwind her mental influence- best not to leave it too long, there was too high a risk of being discovered.

Tattletale smiled at her.

"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure I'll manage." She said, a moment before the windows caved in and Hellhound's massive dogs burst in, a mere fraction ahead of a roiling wave of darkness.

"Glory go high!" Taylor shouted, flinging herself towards the panicking knot of hostages and thrusting out her palms to push away the closest dog. Tattletale, a moment before the darkness swallowed them both, caught her gaze and made a telephone motion with a free hand.

"I'll be in touch." She mouthed, a cheeky smile curving her lips just before she vanished into the darkness. Taylor snarled, locating the Tinker- Chariot- in the darkness and plunging in after him. She sensed Regent, Tattletale, Grue and Hellhound atop the dogs, but clearly they had expected Chariot to make an escape alone. A reasonable assumption given his power armour, but not one she would allow. She locked onto his mind, surging through the darkness with a boost from her powers, and planted herself just off his straight line of escape. A grimace touched her lips as she realised that any attempt to stop him physically would end in broken bones for her, and her staff was lost somewhere. She moved, taking a step into his path and focusing her powers. A single blast, at the feet, she thought, bring him down. After that, well, choking him out should do. Taylor raised her fist in the air, and then punched down as Chariot approached, at high speed. The ground rumpled and reared up, and the Undersider hit hard, tripping and sailing past her. Taylor turned and leapt onto the sprawling villain as he fell, wrapping an arm around his neck for the image while she curled her fingers and applied telekinetic pressure on his windpipe. She held it until he passed out, and then let go and stood up, carefully checking that he was still alive and relatively unharmed. Just to sell the image she levered off a part of his helmet, exposing his throat and mouth just enough that it would appear that she had physically kept hold of him. A slight touch of memory alteration, and she was dragging him through the darkness towards the bank.

"-and all of them escaped," she heard Vista grumble as she walked through the thinning darkness, seeing Glory Girl slowly descending from the roof where she had flown, Panacea still safely in her arms. Taylor looked to Vista, and whistled to draw her attention.

"Not all of them escaped." She said, dragging Chariot through the doors. Vista turned, and a beaming smile crossed her face.

"You got one?"

"Yeah. The Tinker, Tattletale said he was called Chariot."

A slight pause, as though she was considering what she wanted to say next.

"She didn't seem to like him very much."

Vista shrugged and looked around the bank.

"It happens. So, do we call this a win?"

Taylor gave a shrug of her own.

"Not sure. Do you know where my staff went?"

* * *

Three days later, Taylor stood on the roof of a derelict building and stared blankly into the darkness. It was drizzling, and she wished that she had a raincoat. It might not really fit her image, but being dry was being dry. Still, this was the place and time that Tattletale had asked to meet at after contacting her on PHO, so this time and place it was.

"So," the voice of the Undersider said from behind her, "What does it feel like to be the new favourite vigilante of Brockton Bay?"

"About the same as it did before." Taylor replied, turning.

"I almost thought you weren't going to turn up." She added. Tattletale laughed softly.

"I considered it. Grue has been quite overprotective since the bank incident. How is Chariot, by the way?"

"Chariot? Rolled on you, you know. Flipped over and showed his tummy like an eager puppy. The PRT was pretty happy, and I hear he's going to be a Ward."

"A Ward? Probationary?" Tattletale mused. Taylor inclined her head.

"Like Shadow Stalker, yes. You were pretty smart to not show him your lair. Or at least, to move to a different one."

Tattletale shrugged.

"What can I say, the boss said we should add him so we did. Didn't mean that we trusted him."

"Mm. No doubt, considering that he used you as bait."

Tattletale blinked.

"Bait?" she asked cautiously, and Taylor could see in her mind that she was wondering how Taylor knew. Taylor herself reached into her coat and produced a newspaper, carefully tilting it to shield it from the rain for as long as possible.

"Dinah Alcott, niece of the Mayor, kidnapped. Kidnapped while the Wards and Protectorate were busy with the Undersiders robbing a bank. That's an awfully large…coincidence."

Taylor sighed, dropping the paper. Tattletale brought a hand up- she was wearing a raincoat, Taylor noted.

"Yeah. Yeah, we were told to rob the bank. Got a bonus whether we succeeded or not. Realised there was something wrong but didn't think it would be like a that."

There was a hollowness to the smile Tattletale turned on Taylor, and Taylor felt a flicker of pity despite herself. Tattletale was desperate and frightened, enough that she would come to a vigilante Hero. It was tragic, really.

"But Coil didn't give you a choice." Taylor said quietly. Tattletale choked on her next words and that was confirmation enough.

"How did you know?" she asked. Taylor took that as confirmation that whatever Tattletale's power was, it wasn't on all the time. Some kind of limit? Didn't really matter, she supposed.

"I didn't, until you confirmed it. But really, it was an educated guess. Wasn't Empire, I would have known once I hit them- which I did the day after Dinah was kidnapped. Wasn't ABB, not their style and they would have boasted about it. Wasn't Merchants, too clean. So, Coil. Maybe not him directly, maybe through an intermediary like Faultline, but ultimately him."

Tattletale licked her lips, nervous.

"Have you told anyone?"

Taylor shook her head.

"Don't trust them. Chariot's probably a mole, and I suspect there are more in the PRT and Protectorate. If Coil knows that I'm after him then it'll be much harder to get to him. I'll need information, though."

"I…I don't know if I can give you any. I got away for this, he seemed distracted, but he knows. He always knows what I'm doing."

A brief, bitter laugh left Tattletale.

"Like he's in my head. I still can't work out what his power is, and I just know that if I'm too much trouble he'll have me killed, or drugged. Drugged and kept as a puppet, useful only for my power."

Taylor let a tiny sigh huff from her mouth and stepped closer to Tattletale.

"Then don't give me anything. Pretend to be cowed, or pretend to be defiant, which ever you like. I'll be hunting him regardless…building evidence until I can find him. But I'll have to let it look like the Empire is my priority."

Tattletale nodded quickly, and Taylor felt the gratitude that the Undersider would never show. Taylor almost hated herself for inspiring it.

"I…right. I'll do what I can, but it won't be much. Goodbye, Hero. And good luck."

A tinge of the spirit had returned to Tattletale's voice as she hurried away, and Taylor turned back to the rainy darkness.

 _'_ _An unusual power, and a boss who seems to know everything…I wonder, is this linked to the dream I had?'_

The Emperor said nothing for a moment, clearly remembering the dream she spoke of. It had been the night of the bank robbery, when she had slept and dreamed of leaving school from boredom. Then, wandering the streets she had seen a small girl being kidnapped, and saved her. Taylor had initially thought nothing of it, until she had read the newspaper and seen the image of the girl in her dream. An image, captioned with the name of Dinah Alcott.

 **"** **I TOLD YOU, IT WAS NO MERE DREAM. IT SEEMED MORE A VISION, THOUGH I KNOW NOT WHY YOU HAD IT. PERHAPS SOME SORT OF INTERFERENCE BETWEEN HIS POWERS AND OURS?"**

 _'_ _Perhaps. It is something that we'll have to look into, once we have more information. That will be more difficult than hurting the Empire.'_ Taylor noted. She knew that she was speaking the truth.

The issue with Coil was, as Taylor saw it, that he ran an organisation and not a gang. The Empire was a gang. The ABB and the Merchants were gangs, and they were filled with low-skilled and undisciplined members. That meant that acquiring information on them was as easy as hitting places until you found a Lieutenant and then ransacking his or her mind for the information needed. Well, it wasn't quite that easy, but it was close. Coil ran an organisation. Smaller, more disciplined, more capable, probably with better operational security. No, she needed more information before she went hunting. Coil maintained his territory without a single Parahuman- apart from himself- when the three other gangs had at least two, and as many as...well, however many the Empire boasted at the moment. Eight? Something like that. A lot, anyway.

 _'_ _I think I need to go and beat something up. All this thinking around a dead end is giving me a headache.'_ Taylor decided. The Emperor grumbled in agreement, but she could feel him still thinking, working on the problem as she began to leap across the roofs, floating no her power just enough to travel. There was no real hurry: this was Brockton Bay, after all. Trouble was always happening somewhere. And then there was an explosion, not far away, and Taylor concluded that she should maybe be more careful with her thoughts as she sped up and moved in the direction of the explosion.

Taylor landed on a building close to the explosion, and very rapidly concluded that she should stop wishing for trouble, because she was really out of her league. Below, a vaguely wolf shaped mass of grinding metal blades stormed around, following a slender man in a demon mask and black clothing, who kept…well, exploding. Hookwolf and Oni Lee, two of the biggest, baddest villains in the city. And there was the Empire cape Stormtiger, adding sharpened blasts of air or whatever the hell it was to the churning, tearing mass of metal that was Hookwolf. This was, absolutely, something Taylor did not want to get involved in. And then Stormtiger blasted an Oni Lee away and the explosion turned a wall to glass and Taylor saw the child and mother cowering within and knew that she couldn't stay out of the fight. She didn't even hesitate before she pulled her phone and punched in a number.

"Glory? Yeah, Circaetus here. Would you do me a favour and ring the PRT, tell them that Hookwolf, Oni Lee and Stormtiger are throwing down with some really nasty stuff and that I'm trying to save civilians."

"Wait- what? Damnit Circ where are you?"

Taylor gave the location, eyeing the melee and trying to decide what to do first. Stormtiger had to go, she decided, and then she'd hurry the small family out and hope that the metal monster and the cloning, teleporting suicide bomber killed each other.

"Glory. Make the phone call. Do not come here yourself. I'll see you tomorrow." She said, a finality in her tone as she closed the phone on the last protests of the heroine who was quickly becoming her friend. Taylor gathered her legs underneath her and focused on Stormtiger.

 _'_ _Well, in for a penny.'_

She dropped. Taylor fell directly, landing behind Stormtiger. He was incredibly fast, and a punch split the air and laced a cut mere inches away from her right eye, slicing along the hairline before she hit him in the ribs, no time to be subtle. Bone snapped and caved and Stormtiger rammed into a wall, Taylor adding a solid smack to the head with her staff. She didn't have time for delicacy, she knew, dragging Stormtiger deeper into the alley he had been in and running for the family. She slid through a door that was miraculously not glass, hurrying to them.

"Are there any others in here?" she asked, in an urgent whisper. There were three of them- father, mother, child. The father and mother seemed frozen with fright, but managed to shake their heads and Taylor let out a sigh of relief.

"Good. Listen, you need to run. I'll distract those two, you three need to run away and not stop until you're sure that you're safe. Alright?"

 **"** **THIS PLAN WILL END POORLY."** The Emperor rumbled.

 _'_ _I know. Heroism, right?'_

The family still looked terrified, but they were nodding and the child- a small boy, maybe five years old- poked his head around his mothers arms to look at her.

"Are you gonna stop them?" he asked, innocent and trusting. Taylor looked at him and nodded, injecting some cheer into her tone.

"I'm gonna try, kiddo. Get ready."

She turned her back to the family, spreading her stance and waiting. Hookwolf first, she decided, then the ninja nut. Power gathered and boiled, and she felt her eyes begin to shine a moment before she thrust out her staff and blew out the glass wall in a shower of lethal shrapnel, aimed directly at the two battling capes.

"Go!" she shouted, even as she focused her power and slung it in a much tighter one, hitting a surprised Hookwolf and knocking him into a building. Disused. Warehouse. Fantastic, and Taylor shattered the structure with a horizontal blast of force and watched it collapse. It would barely inconvenience Hookwolf, much less harm him, but it would delay him while the family fled. Now, Oni Lee. Where was he at?

 **"** **BEHIND YOU!"**

Taylor whirled, her staff coming up just in time to throw up a wall of force that blunted the grenade explosion. A standard grenade this time, thankfully, Taylor wasn't sure how she would react to being turned to glass or something. Probably horribly, but the concussion still knocked her off her feet. The family were running, she just needed to buy them a little longer. Standing, Taylor slammed her staff into the ground and generated a circular shockwave which bought her a little time, but Lee or his clones were everywhere and the time taken to bring up a shield was starting to become slower than the time between explosions.

 **"** **THE METAL ONE!"**

Taylor leapt on instinct, barely avoiding a churning mass of serrated edges that would have torn her to bloody scraps. She thrust her staff down, hitting Hookwolf and using him as a platform to boost herself back to a building roof. A mental check, the family were out of the immediate blast zone and still running and another cry of warning from The Emperor and Taylor was fast enough to turn but too slow to defend and the knife buried itself just under her throat, scraping on her breastbone. Instinct, and she pushed Lee away with enough force that his explosion didn't kill her but the very edge of it threw her back and she was falling, choking on blood and steel and falling towards a steel blender in the shape of a wolf.

* * *

 **And so, another Chapter. Personally, I'm not as happy with this one as with the others, so it might change, but I thought I'd get it up rather than spend ages fussing over it.**

 **Some points that might come up: the vision. This is, basically, Coil's power messing with Taylor. However, this only happens when she is directly involved in the 'timeline' that he dropped, so not all that often. I just felt that it was suitable, as a manner of covering the visions that some 40K Psykers experience.**

 **Tattletale: her power requires context, which is why it didn't go "GOD EMPEROR, BOW TO HER". Rather, it went "Powerful telekinetic, possible other powers, willing to kill, no Manton limit, trustworthy" which is why I wrote the interaction as I did. Tattletale is hard to write.**

 **And we saw that Taylor is not all powerful, and the bigger boys in Brockton Bay can really give her trouble. And that's about all folks. I hope you enjoyed and, as always, appreciate any reviews you want to leave.**


	4. Interlude: Vista

_S **o, some people mentioned that they would like to see this. Therefore, a little something from the Wards perspective for you all.**_

 ** _Note- this takes place just after the Bank incident, and so is placed as part of Chapter 3 on the timeline._**

* * *

 **Interlude: Vista**

Apparently, the PRT Director did not consider the bank job a win for the good guys.

"You are very fortunate that I am not labelling this an utter fiasco." Director Piggot stated, her cold, stern eyes fixing upon the cowed Wards. None of them spoke up- they all knew better- and she continued.

"It is exceedingly fortunate that you were able to capture one of the Undersiders. Otherwise all we would have is considerable property damage and the humiliation of being defeated by a group specialising in escape, not to mention the damage caused by New Wave's golden girl, which is our fault as you invited her along _without my say so."_

Piggot did not look particularly intimidating. She was quite short and stout, but her voice held a furious ice to it. She did not shout: she did not need to. Vista fought the urge to flinch.

"And, worst of all, we cannot even claim a real success in capturing the Undersider, as it was done by someone who _Glory Girl invited._ A vigilante was more successful than the entire Wards team!"

Piggot's voice had risen just a little by the end of that statement, and Vista couldn't help but feel a slight resentment on behalf of Circaetus. Vigilante or not, Circaetus hardly deserved the scorn that Piggot had put into her statement. Vista wondered what Circaetus would have said if she was here to hear what Piggot said. Probably something snide. Gallant cleared his throat and stepped forward, a little unsteadily. Vista watched him with concern- he had taken a severe beating from Grue and Hellhound's dogs, he should be undergoing a medical examination not a dressing down.

"I invited Glory Girl. It's only fair that I pay for the damages."

In Vista's opinion, that summed up Gallant impossibly noble and self sacrificing, offering to take the burden that belonged to the whole team upon himself. Clearly, however, Piggot did not feel the same.

"Yes. Living up to your name, I see. But we all know who you are under that mask, and we all know that you are the one most able to afford such a fine. Punishment is hardly a punishment if your pocket doesn't feel it, Gallant. No, the cost will be coming out of all your wages."

A series of protests ensued, but Vista took a cue from Circaetus and watched Piggot. For a moment, she could see the satisfaction that curled across the Director's expression. It vanished quickly, but Vista knew what she saw. Piggot simply waited until the protests died down into sullen silence, and turned her gaze upon Aegis and Clockblocker.

"So, now that we have settled that matter, I must ask about your plan to switch costumes. Whichever budding tactician among you decided upon that little trick?" she asked. A less cynical person might have thought she would complement the planner. Vista was not such a person. She knew it was Clockblocker's suggestion, but the momentary silence that followed the question suggested that he was a little wary of answering. Eventually, a sigh came from the Ward- still dressed in Aegis' costume- and he stepped forward. Piggot turned her gaze upon him, but Aegis spoke before she could, though his voice was laboured.

"Director, I wish to state that I was in command and as such-"

"Oh, be quiet Aegis. You trying to speak with a punctured lung physically pains me, and as much as I admire standing up for your team your one lungful of breath is wasted here." Piggot snapped. Aegis and Clockblocker both looked at her, but a new voice spoke before she could say any more.

"You know, there's friendly mean comments and then there's being unnecessarily rude. Two guesses for which one that was." The newcomer drawled, a female voice filled with easy confidence. The Wards and Piggot all turned, to be met with the sight of four figures: Panacea in white and red, Glory Girl in white and Circaetus in her black and gold, and all wearing the blue Guest ID badges. The vigilante was looking directly at Piggot, and a slightly abashed looking PRT trooper stood behind.

"I'm sorry Director, they insisted on bringing Panacea to help heal the Wards." The man said, Circaetus giving him a dismissive gesture.

"Yes, thank you for that. I don't believe we've met, however, _Director."_

There was a subtle mockery in the way Circaetus pronounced Piggot's title, some challenge in the words. Piggot sent the vigilante a glower that would have cowed any of the Wards. Circaetus merely tilted her head.

"Come come, Director, no need to be hostile. After all, we are both on the side of good, are we not?"

Circaetus still sounded slightly mocking, almost as though she was inviting Piggot to engage her in a battle of words. Vista watched, transfixed, and wondered if the Director would take the vigilante up on it.

"I suppose we are. Although, of course, there is the consideration that I am a fully qualified officer, and you are a vigilante." Piggot responded coldly. Circaetus responded with a soft, cold laugh, one that Vista had not heard before from the girl that she considered a friend.

"Ah. There it is, that scorn. Is it because I'm working outside your organisation, or simply because I have powers? Ah well, it hardly matters. I'm not as foolish as Shadow Stalker, and not here to trade witticisms. No, I'm just here to make sure that Panacea is unmolested, and maybe to lend my aid to the Wards in their debriefing. Am I allowed to do that, or would you like to exchange some more witty banter?"

Vista stared. Circaetus was…she had never heard anyone talk to Director Piggot before, with a mixture of unassailable confidence and casual disdain. It was unprecedented. It was unbelievable and yet, the Director simply glared at the vigilante, eyes narrowed and mouth pressed tightly shut. A minute passed, fraught with tension, and then Piggot grunted.

"Fine. Fine, vigilante. Have it your way, for now. Wards- there is a tour group coming in in an hour, make sure you are presentable. Panacea, thank you for volunteering your services, it is appreciated. Vigilante…you might be feeling smug now, but I will be watching you."

Piggot strode from the room, leaving the Wards and New Wave members staring. Circaetus broke the fresh silence with a soft huff.

"Hmm. Well, that was the least convincing thanks I've ever heard. Your Director is quite the charmer, isn't she?"

Aegis tried to say something, and it came out as a gurgle, tinged with a slight bubble. Circaetus sighed.

"You Brutes and your machismo pain tolerance. You're bleeding too much to make sense, Aegis."

Circaetus looked at Vista, and her head tilted in a manner that Vista always associated with the older girl smiling.

"And I know you're going to say that I'm doing the same thing as the Director, but it's different. I'm the one doing it."

Vista fought the urge to laugh at the blatantly ridiculous statement, and the cheerful way that Circaetus made it. It was strange, really, with the way she dressed Vista would have expected Circaetus to be more closed off, unfriendly. More like Shadow Stalker, but they were actually entirely different, even if Circaetus was entirely capable of being highly intimidating.

"Well, I was telling the truth to Director Piggot." Circaetus said, abruptly changing the subject.

"I'm just here to give my thoughts for the debriefing. Are we going to get to that?"

Aegis looked at Gallant, and then carefully cleared his throat. It sounded painful.

"Yes, we should do that. Gallant, you lead. Panacea, if you could…"

Panacea nodded to him, and Gallant quickly lead the way to the Wards Headquarters. Once there, Panacea lead Aegis away to be healed, while Kid Win fetched a whiteboard and they got down to the business of dissecting their performance, mainly focusing on the powers and tactics the Undersiders had employed. Circaetus remained in the background, making no comment for the first few minutes, as the Wards went through the initial skirmish. Eventually, the conversation reached the point after Circaetus had arrived, the Wards attempting to work out who had been leading the Undersiders, and Circaetus spoke.

"Grue was their leader." She said, complete confidence in her voice. Vista turned to her: she didn't doubt the older girl, but she felt that she had to ask her reasoning.

"What makes you think that? If anything, I would expect Tattletale to be the leader- she seemed like the planning type, and she stayed in the bank."

Circaetus tapped a finger against her chin before answering.

"Bitch. Bitch- Hellhound, whatever you want to call her. She makes me think that Grue is the leader, because she's violent and not overly bright and Tattletale doesn't have the muscle to keep her in line. Grue does. And besides that, Tattletale was waiting for Grue in the bank. Just because Grue is their best fighter doesn't mean he can't lead them as well."

Vista nodded, agreeing. She had just wanted to see how Circaetus had rationalised it.

"How good is he?" Glory Girl asked curiously. Gallant grimaced.

"Good enough to break my arm." He replied dryly. Circaetus nodded.

"He's baseline human, but he's good at what he does. Knows more than one martial arts I'd say, and he leverages his power to use it very well. If you take him on again you'll have to be careful, his skills make him perfect for isolating more vulnerable members of the group."

Vista felt that Circaetus was looking at her at that. She might have protested, but she knew it was true. If Grue attacked her in hand to hand she might not do very well: training only went so far, considering that she was a fairly short thirteen-year old.

The conversation continued in a similar vein until the bank had been entirely gone over. By that time Aegis had been healed, and Panacea was working through the others. Gallant would be last, as he was leading the debriefing- last, apart from Vista, who was merely bruised a little. Just after they had finished, and Panacea had taken Gallant into the side room to heal, a yellow light flashed, indicating that someone was entering. Usually this would be a signal to put masks on, as someone was entering. In this case they hadn't unmasked, as Circaetus was present, and so none of them moved as the door opened and Armsmaster entered, followed by Miss Militia. Circaetus uncoiled from the wall, moving towards the exit.

"Well, that's my cue. I think I've helped all I can here, and I need to get back home." She said. There was an odd flatness to her voice, Vista noted, a certain wariness that the Ward couldn't place. The vigilante gave a sparing nod to Armsmaster and Miss Militia, pausing only for a moment before them.

"Miss Militia. Could I possibly ask for an escort out? I'm afraid I don't know the way."

For a moment Vista thought that Miss Militia might refuse, but then the heroine nodded, her eyes crinkling in a smile above her American flag patterned scarf.

"Of course." She said easily. Circaetus paused, half turning.

"So, I'll see you guys some other time." She said. A faint tinge of humour entered her voice at that.

"Try not to get into any more trouble without me. I'm not sure how many times I can pull of the late arriving hero cliché."

And with that, Circaetus followed Miss Militia out. Clockblocker snorted.

"I'd say that she's cheeky, but she's right." He grumbled. Armsmaster ignored him, moving over to the board and examining it.

"This isn't bad." He said, before getting into a conversation with Gallant and Aegis. Vista missed most of it, as Panacea had moved over to her and healed her bruises and scrapes.

"Thank you." Vista said quietly. Panacea nodded stiffly, and turned to Glory Girl.

"I'm done." She said. Armsmaster, infamously socially maladjusted, barely spared a moment.

"Thank you, Panacea. The PRT troopers outside will escort you and your sister away."

Vista wondered what Circaetus would have said about that, but Glory Girl and Panacea were used to Armsmaster and merely made their goodbyes. Armsmaster waited until they had gone, almost a minute, and then called the Wards around.

"This is good." He said, indicating the whiteboard, "But it is incomplete. Not the Undersiders…but Circaetus."

Vista stiffened, a frown crossing her face.

"Sir, why would we need to record information on Circaetus? She's a friendly."

It was a testament to Armsmasters experience- or his social issues- that he didn't bat an eyelid at that protest.

"Be that as it may, we do need to build a basic profile on her in case she turns against us. In that case, her powers are especially relevant."

Vista still frowned at that, but reluctantly concluded that he had a point. Circaetus was like a combination of Rune and Krieg on steroids. If she turned against them she could be deadly. Still, the Wards were reluctant to offer too much information, and she suspected that Armsmaster already knew most of what was offered. Eventually, however, Kid Win made a comment that Vista had not considered.

"She can affect people with her powers, and doesn't seem to have a limit on that effect given that she could throw people around." He said quietly. Armsmaster straightened his posture even more.

"Yes. Yes, I had considered that. It brings to light an interesting and concerning possibility: Circaetus might not be Manton limited. Her powers may have full reign to affect the human body."

Vista considered what could be done with a Circaetus' powers, considered what she had done to brick and mortar and metal, and imagined it being applied to flesh and blood and bone. And, despite what she liked to think of as a friendship for the older girl, she shivered.

* * *

 ** _I'm not entirely thrilled with this, but I wrote it as best I was able. To clear up a few potential questions: Taylor does not have a grudge against Piggot or Armsmaster. She just has some issues with authority, combined with the full arrogance of the Emperor turning her away from acknowledging them as her superior. Piggot being a bigot also doesn't help, no matter how justified said bigotry is. After all, Piggot experienced Nilbog, and then works in a city with Lung, Kaiser and Skidmark, and to top it all off her vigilante experience is Shadow Stalker, who is nigh homicidal, and Glory Girl who means well but is a hothead with a tendency towards property damage. Even then, Taylor isn't going to take anything from her lying down._**

 ** _All that notwithstanding, I hope you enjoyed, and feel free to review with any thoughts you have on this little interlude: the next chapter will likely be out tomorrow, as it is almost finished._**


	5. Chapter 4

_**As promised in the Interlude, Chapter 4.**_

 _ **Update 23/10/2017- looked over the chapter and realised that my paragraphs had ceased to exist again so updated the formatting to replace them.**_

* * *

Panic boiled in her chest, seemingly mixing with blood into a thick and choking acid that burned in her throat and clogging in her lungs, suffocating and choking her. Taylor knew panic, knew terror, but then she felt The Emperor, ever present, vast and powerful and his presence pushed back her panic just long enough for an ember of defiance to flare in her chest, and Taylor seized it with all her will and fed it into a raging inferno. That defiance, that grim determination that had seen her through all the years of bullying, that would drive her to face death unbowed, spitting bloody hatred and unending fury at her foe kindled, burst into life and Taylor pushed aside her pain, seeing Hookwolf below and swearing that if her death would be at his jaws she would give him the worst indigestion he had ever felt. Still falling freely, Taylor gathered her power, waiting for a physical strike but something slammed into her from the side, carrying her up and away from the waiting, gnashing form and onto a nearby building. Something white, and fast enough to break several of her ribs on impact. The pain blossomed, and Taylor fought against a fresh tide of fear and choking helplessness as her apparent saviour lifted into the air, Taylor held in a rough bridal carry.

 _'_ _Glory.'_

Glory Girl. Evidently, she had disobeyed Taylor's instructions, but Taylor couldn't help but be glad that she had. Even if she would regenerate, being torn to scraps of meat and bone was far from something she wanted to experience.

"Circ! Oh my God-"

Taylor briefly tuned Glory Girl out, turning to look behind the still flying heroine as some danger sense blared. There, on the roof, a man in black and demon mask and knives and grenades.

 _'_ _Lee!'_

Glory couldn't see him, Glory had no idea he was there and Lee was unslinging a grenade from his bandoleer with almost insolent slowness and Taylor could sense a faint trace of satisfaction in the empty wasteland that was his mind and there was no _time_ and she simply reached out with her powers. She smashed into his mind with a psychic attack, not strong enough to kill or even permanently harm him, she didn't have the focus, but Lee was suddenly blind and his limbs were no longer properly connected to his brain and he staggered and collapsed, dropping the grenade off the roof. Taylor vaguely registered Hookwolf barely leap away from the explosion, steel suddenly brittle glass, but Glory Girl was moving much faster and the pain came flooding back and Taylor fought a whimper, sinking into an awful fog of pain and fear, a state barely held back by her will.

"Amy!"

Taylor was roused by Glory Girl shouting, and muzzily noted that it wasn't very professional. The New Wave members should really call each other by hero names when in costume. Although Glory Girl had a white costume, didn't she? Not red.

"Vicky? What is- oh my God!"

Oh. No, right, she'd been stabbed. And she'd bled all over Glory Girl. And Taylor was fairly certain that a normal person would have died by now, because her heart was slowly beating in an erratic, painful thumping and Panacea was rushing towards the two of them even as Glory Girl lowered Taylor hastily yet gently onto a nearby hospital bed. Taylor choked, feeling her heart stop and restart again and blood flooded from her mouth, soaking her scarf once again. It was a good thing that her scarf was black. It would hide the blood. Suddenly she appreciated one of the drawbacks of being a Perpetual: knowing death, your soul remaining even as your body failed. No wonder Vulkan had gone insane.

"Hold her!" Panaceas barked, pulling up a sleeve and flinching as she laid a hand on Taylor's skin.

"Hold her- she isn't struggling!"

"I don't care, she's dying and I don't know how she'll react when I pull the knife. Hold her down!"

There was a ferocious command in Panacea's voice, and Glory Girl did as commanded, placing her hands on Taylor's shoulders and carefully pressing down. Panacea took hold of the knife hilt, and hauled. Taylor screamed, a noise that almost immediately subsided into a rasping, choking noise as blood replaced steel. Her heart beat again, hammering painfully, and Taylor felt her mind waver even as the pain in her chest altered slightly, shifting until it had gone entirely. Healed, though there was a new pain in her arms from her reflexive jolt against Glory Girl. Taylor rolled over the instant she was released, pulling her scarf away from her mouth and vomiting blood onto the floor, hacking and retching before taking a deep, dragging breath. Air. Fresh air, sweet air, she didn't think she would ever take it for granted again.

"Circaetus!"

Glory Girl bent down towards her, but Taylor held up a hand.

"I'm alright." She rasped, gritting her teeth as she pulled her blood-fouled scarf back up. Even if not having it on would only expose the lower portion of her face, she preferred to stay utterly anonymous. Glory Girl hovered, and even Panacea had a pulse of worry in her mind.

"Are you sure? You were a long time without oxygen." Panacea interrupted. Taylor blinked, carefully sitting upright.

 **"** **YOUR HEALING PRIORITISED YOUR MIND. EVEN IF IT DID NOT, YOUR SOUL IS MORE IMPORTANT TO YOUR THINKING THAN YOUR MIND."** The Emperor supplied. Taylor sent a mental nod.

"I don't think so. I remember my name and everything, at least." She said. Panacea approached, her hand moving towards Taylor again.

"I…do you mind if I look?" she asked. Taylor shook her head.

"Feel free." She said quietly. Panacea briefly pressed her fingers to Taylor's wrist and then stepped back.

"You seem to be fine." She said, returning to a slightly curter manner. Taylor inclined her head.

"Thank you." She said, genuinely grateful. She would have healed eventually on her own, but she had no idea how long she would have had to endure that nightmare as her healing fought against her injuries. Panacea nodded, and sighed.

"You're lucky that I was on a break. What happened?"

Taylor brought her hand up, feeling the rip in her pullover and the slight exposed skin.

"Oni Lee and Hookwolf were fighting it out. I caught their attention to help a civilian family get away from the fighting, but Lee was better than I expected."

 _'_ _Or I was worse.'_

Glory Girl was shaking her head, Taylor noticed.

"Why, though? Why rush in like that, you could have died!"

There was genuine concern in her voice, so Taylor didn't give a glib answer. Instead she sighed, moving her fingers up from her chest to rub gently at her throat.

"Because…because I couldn't bear to stand there and watch as some poor family ended up dead."

Taylor looked up, meeting Glory Girl's eyes.

"And even if I can't save everybody, I can try. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I had let those people die." She said. That wasn't entirely true, but that way lay the logic of sacrificing one for many, and the slippery slope thereon. She sighed, scrubbing a hand roughly across her face.

"I'm sorry about, y'know, the blood." She said quietly, gesturing. Panacea shrugged.

"I don't think anyone will begrudge you being stabbed." She responded dryly. A quick check of her watch, and she shook her head.

"I have to go. You're in good health, but try not to get injured again tonight. I don't recommend going out at all."

Taylor watched Panacea turn her back and sighed.

"Thank you." She said, quietly. Panacea paused for a moment, but didn't give a verbal reply as she walked away. Glory Girl looked down at Taylor.

"She was worried about you." She said quietly. Taylor nodded slowly, looking at her feet as she swung herself sideways, her feet just touching the ground.

"I was worried about me."

She tried to respond flippantly, but her voice cracked a little half-way through and she closed her eyes as the remembered sensation of suffocation flooded over her. Taylor silently counted to ten, then forced herself to open her eyes and look up at Glory Girl. The New Wave heroine looked worried, to the point that she was hovering an inch or so off the ground.

"Sorry. I'll be alright." She said. Glory Girl looked unconvinced, but she landed, no longer hovering.

"Are you sure?"

"I-yeah. Yeah, I'm sure. I just need to think. I got cocky, got hurt."

Taylor shrugged.

"It happens."

Glory Girl still looked a little sceptical, but after a few moments of consideration she nodded and turned to the door.

"Alright. If that's what you think. Circaetus…don't forget, I'm here if you need to talk." She said quietly, walking to the door. Taylor cleared her throat a moment before Glory Girl left.

"Glory? Thanks. For the save."

A small smile showed on Glory Girl's face.

"Hey, what else are friends for?" she asked, before walking away. Taylor rubbed her bloody scarf briefly, before sighing and standing. She needed to get out of here. She paced quickly through the hospital, hurrying and stopping only briefly when she saw a bathroom. A quick duck inside, and Taylor paused just long enough to pull her scarf down and scoop some water into her mouth. A swish, and she spat now metallic tasting water into the basin. It came out red, but at least her mouth didn't taste as thickly of blood anymore and running the tap quickly removed the evidence. She pulled her scarf back up and walked again, out into the rainy night.

* * *

 _'_ _What happened to me?'_ Taylor wondered, perched on a rooftop in the rain. A faint sheen of power enclosed her, warding away the falling water, but she could feel the blood in her scarf, cold and sticky against her skin. She ignored it, too busy thinking.

 _'_ _The very first night I went out I showed more versatility and imagination than that fight. How did that happen?'_

 **"** **YOU WERE OVERCONFIDENT. TOO RELIANT ON BRUTE FORCE. AND YET…AND YET, SOMETHING ABOUT IT TROUBLES ME."** The Emperor rumbled. Taylor hummed in response, her fingers drifting across the tear in her clothes again, just below her throat.

 _'_ _And I did the same thing against the Undersiders. Even trying to keep my powers quiet, I have more options than I used. This isn't right.'_

Taylor shifted, bringing her hand up to rub two fingers at her forehead.

 _'_ _It's like I just don't think, like I don't consider any other options. It nearly got me killed, and I lost my staff.'_

 ** _"_** **IT IS CONCERNING."**

 _'_ _Could there be some sort of psychic influence on me? No…it can't be. Even if I missed it, any psychic would have to be more practiced than you are. Not possible.'_

 **"** **NOT LIKELY, NO. NOT WITHOUT US AT LEAST SENSING IT."**

 _'_ _Damn. And…I've been sloppy. Even a basic flak jacket would have stopped that knife.'_ Taylor realised. A piece of equipment that was more than basic in the Imperium, and she had utterly neglected it. Even if she hadn't thought about it, she should have realised just by looking at the costumes of the Wards. Almost all of them were armoured in some way. Vista's breastplate. Clockblocker's armour plates, the power armour that Gallant and Kid Win wore…she had been unbelievably sloppy. Unimaginably sloppy. Being stabbed, especially, and being carried to hospital and bleeding all over the-

 _'_ _The blood. DNA.'_

Taylor boosted herself off the building, sudden fear lending her speed and strength, and ran for the hospital again. She had to stop anyone from getting their hands on her blood, anybody being able to know her identity could be disastrous. Taylor hastily pinpointed the room she had been in from memory, dragged her power in a shroud around her to push people to ignore her, though she slowed down as she entered the hospital. Running was far too obvious, but a swift walk could manage. She moved quickly through the hospital: it was thankfully quiet, and she made good time. She cast her senses out as she approached the room, and felt a smugness from within. Taylor gritted her teeth and clenched her fist, making her way quickly to the door. She slipped into the room, silently closing the door behind her and levelling a cold glare on the back of the kneeling man. She could see that he was crouched over the pool of blood that she had left, and though a mop and bucket was nearby she could also see a slender tube in his hand.

"What do you think you're doing?" Taylor asked, and she almost didn't recognise her voice, low and terrible with wrath. The man stiffened, and she felt fear coil through his mind, followed by a sudden determination. He came to his feet in a swift, jerking motion, and Taylor extended a hand and focused. Her power settled over him, almost like hands pressing on each shoulder, and he was forced back to his knees, muscles straining futilely. The panic came back, stronger than ever, but it wasn't all directed at her. At least some of it was towards his employer. Coil. How interesting, even if the man was acting of his own accord.

"I'll ask once more, and only once. What do you think you're doing?"

The man made an incoherent noise, but his thoughts flickered to Coil. Taylor smiled mirthlessly behind her mask. An agent who wanted to gain favour with the supervillain. How very cliché. Taylor considered, and then moved her fingers slightly. Her power altered, moving to wrap around him. It wasn't easy, not something she could do in a combat situation, but soon he was cocooned in telekinetic force, and Taylor was able to move him like a puppet, forcing him to stand and face her. His fear was thick in his mind as she reached out, gripping his chin in her hand and forcing him to look at her.

"Oh, don't worry. This won't hurt a bit. Just _look into my eyes_."

A short while later Taylor walked briskly through the rainy night, her expression returned to neutrality. She had found it easy enough to change the memory of Coil's agent: as far as the man was now aware she had never been injured, and he was simply clearing up the blood of some anonymous criminal. She had considered twisting his mind until he served her, until he acted as her agent in Coil's organisation, but determined against it. He was low level and would be outed long before he became useful to her. She steadfastly ignored the small, cold, cruelly pragmatic part of her that suggested that she should have ransacked the man's mind for information and then killed him. It would have served no real purpose, but it was becoming harder and harder to ignore that part of herself.

 **"** **THIS CITY IS A POISON."** The Emperor commented. Taylor slowed her stride for a moment, frowning. Brockton wasn't _that_ bad, really, especially compared to many of the cities of the Imperium. Although, she had to admit that it wasn't the most pleasant place to live, filled with powerful gangs that out-muscled the Protectorate in the area. And the greater Protectorate did nothing…

 _'_ _Why is that? How long would it take for the Triumvirate to travel to the city and ambush Lung, or Kaiser? How much would that help?'_ she reflected sourly. The Emperor hummed in the back of her mind.

 **"** **DO THEY NOT AGREE TO LEAVE THEM IN EXCHANGE FOR AID? THIS…ENDBRINGER ACCORD?"**

 _'_ _Endbringer Truce, I think it is. But still, Lung has never fought an Endbringer since he made his name for facing Leviathan. Years and years, and all he does now is lounge in the city, growing fat and rich from his murdering and robbing and slaving and drug trading!'_

Anger sparked into life in her chest, a spite directed at the villains who were so happy to hide behind the Endbringer truce even as they sapped away at the life of the city, of the country, and even some anger towards the Protectorate and the PRT, the heroes and the government organisations who let them do it. The Emperor, more jaded, said nothing, and Taylor knew, intellectually, that sometimes sacrifices had to be made. But she had gone through this with him before: even if she knew it in her mind, her soul rebelled against it, disgusted.

 _'_ _How hard would it be for the Triumvirate to take a day off and hit the big gangs here? How hard would it be for Legend and Alexandria to take Lung out before he gets a chance to ramp up, how hard to decimate the Empire so that the Protectorate in the city can handle them? Why haven't they done it? Why is Brockton being neglected so much, with so much criminal muscle in the city?'_

Somewhere along the line of her thought she had stopped being quite so angry, and started to analyse. It didn't really make sense. For all that Brockton was a relatively small city, the gangs were large and powerful, which made the sorry state of the Protectorate all the more suspicious. And why was Emily Piggot in charge of the city PRT? The woman was a bigot and in poor health to boot, which made Taylor suspect that she wasn't as effective a leader as she could be. Of course, the Protectorate had Armsmaster, but he hadn't exactly struck Taylor as a charismatic leader. Maybe she was overthinking things, but some suspicion nagged at her. She was, in fact, so busy thinking that she didn't notice the man approaching from an alleyway until a hand dropped heavily on her shoulder. Unfortunately for the man her reflexes were still fully functional, and he only managed to reignite her wrath. A gun hit her back, she shoved it away with a flicker of power. The gun went off, missing, Taylor twisted free and spun, ramming a fist into her assailant's sternum. A choking gasp followed and the man crumpled, almost falling before Taylor locked her hands onto his jaw and rammed him into the wall, her thumbs pressed just below his eyes. The man frantically rammed his gun back into her side, but it just made her angrier.

"Stop! Stop or I'll shoot!" he cried. Taylor bared her teeth below her scarf, raw anger fuelling her.

"Do it. Pull the trigger. Do it, and I'll drive my thumbs so far into your skull that I can tear your brain out through your eye sockets before I drop you in the Bay. Come on, give me an excuse. I'm sure your family won't miss a criminal like you too much."

The man whimpered, and terror bloomed so thick in him that Taylor would have been able to sense it even without her powers. The gun barrel pressed against her side wavered and then fell away, and Taylor heard it clatter against the ground. The man raised his hands helplessly.

"I…I, please, don't…"

Taylor felt a fresh surge of fury, a sudden, awful temptation to do as she had threatened, to deal a horrid death in retribution for his insolence, but a flash of cold seemed to pierce her spine and she came back to her senses with a jolt of horror and shock. She had released the man and he had slid to the ground, weeping and incoherent, and a flash of guilt and shame blazed through her as she felt his thoughts, and sensed something dire. A family. A family that he had to protect, and a woman in a gas mask.

 _'_ _What am I doing?'_ she questioned, her stomach suddenly roiling. A press of her powers identified something in his skull, something small and ominous.

 **"** **A BOMB?"** The Emperor questioned, concern in the near monotone. Taylor felt her expression twist again, and sympathy pulsed through her. But there was nothing she could do, not at the moment.

"Go. Run. Hope I never see you again." She said harshly, and the sobbing man scrambled to his feet and fled. Taylor watched him run, fists clenching so tightly that her nails would have cut into her palms if it weren't for the gloves that she wore.

 _'_ _This fucking city. Every time I think I have the depravity and the lunacy understood, one of the bastard criminals pulls out something new. And I can't even go and tell the Protectorate, because who would believe that I magically saw a bomb in some poor bastard's head?'_

The Emperor listened to her rant in silence, and said nothing. Taylor closed her eyes in frustration, ignoring the spike of pain that passed through her skull. She had suffocated to death several times tonight, after all. Head pains were probably normal after an experience like that. Well, maybe not normal, but more or less expected. A hand came up and rubbed briefly at her brow.

 _'_ _First Dinah Alcott, then this bomb thing, and I've still got the Empire to deal with. I may have bitten off more than I can chew.'_

A brief, hard smile curved her lips under the mask as her natural defiance and determination reignited.

 _'_ _Guess I'd better train myself to eat better.'_ She mentally finished, adding to the analogy. It might not make sense, but hey. She could hardly be accused of being completely sane.

* * *

The Boat Graveyard. The Boat Graveyard was, perhaps, not the most secure place to practice. It was, perhaps, a little cliché. But, most importantly, it was big and empty, and Taylor could do whatever she damn well pleased while there. Presently, though, she was sitting on a chair she had dragged from a slightly rusting cabin, thinking. Her problem, Taylor concluded, was that she had no mid-range. Her abilities went from taking down normal humans to popping brains and scrambling minds, with very little in-between. That meant that she needed to work on it, otherwise reasonably tough opponents- like Hookwolf- would take everything she could reasonably dish out without flinching. And illusions were unsuitable for her claimed power set. Well, she supposed that she could blind someone and argue that she had damaged the optic nerves -which was what she fully intended to claim for Oni Lee if anyone asked, given that he's been picked up by a Protectorate response team and was currently being held by the PRT- but that was probably a permanent thing. Which would probably be bad. Being blind was one of the things that people got quite squeamish about.

 _'_ _I really have come a long way. From a simple bullied schoolgirl to someone who thinks nothing of blinding people in a few months.'_ She mentally remarked. Carefully, she did not reflect upon the ethical implications of that change. As had become his way, The Emperor said nothing to her consideration. In some ways, Taylor appreciated it. Any reassurances would have seemed empty. But what did it matter? She was here to train and plot. Brooding and angst could wait for a few hundred years.

 _'_ _Doesn't matter. First things first.'_ She told herself. The Emperor stirred in her mind.

 **"** **HAVE YOU CONSIDERED ARMOURING YOURSELF?"** He questioned. Taylor thought back to her brief ponderings on the flak armour of the Imperium, and shook her head.

 _'_ _I can't make any armour without better facilities to produce the ceramite or armaplas. But I'm thinking that I can protect myself by taking a trick from a villain's book. More precisely, a villain we met on our first expedition…'_

Bringing the image of the Empire Cape Rune to mind and closing her eyes, Taylor rose from her seat and held out a hand, focusing. Rune was quite limited, having to touch the items that she wanted to control. Taylor had no such limits, and the ship shuddered slightly around her as her power worked upon it. She kept her power limited, not wanting to damage the ship, but she could feel parts of the interior ripping free, dragged towards her. Taylor smiled, opening her eyes to find herself in the middle of a swirling maelstrom of metal fragments.

 _'_ _Let's see that bastard Lee get through this.'_

 **"** **NOT BAD. BUT NOT EXACTLY AN EASY THING TO DO…OR PRACTICAL. HOW MUCH POWER AND SCRAP ARE YOU EXPENDING FOR THIS?"** The Emperor questioned. Taylor clenched her fist, a snarled curse escaping her mouth as her bubble burst and she let the shrapnel fall. The Emperor sent a feeling of apology, but she knew that he was right. It was simply impractical. That didn't mean it was useless, but maybe she should practice something else. Something more direct, maybe.

 _'_ _I can throw lightning, that isn't too hard and I can pretend that I'm telekinetically creating friction or something. What about fire?'_

The Emperor hummed thoughtfully.

 **"** **WARPFIRE MAY BE USEFUL TO YOU, I SUPPOSE. YES. IT MIGHT NOT EVEN BE TOO SUSPICIOUS, PROVIDING YOU CAN BLUFF IT WITH THE SAME EXPLANATION AS LIGHTNING. HOWEVER, IT WILL NOT DO A GREAT DEAL TO SOLVE YOUR ISSUE WITH LETHAL FORCE."**

Taylor shook her head.

' _Doesn't matter. Fire is a great distraction, and would let me block people from escaping. Plus, it gives me a way to escape a dangerous situation. Somebody who is stop, drop and rolling because they're on fire is someone who can't be running after me.'_

She sensed The Emperor agree with her, a tinge of amusement at her reasoning flickering through, before he began talking again.

 **"** **WARPFIRE IS, BY ITS NATURE, VERY SIMILAR TO NORMAL FIRE. HOWEVER…WARPFIRE TENDS TO REPLACE PART OF THE…FIRE TRIANGLE, I BELIEVE IT IS CALLED, USING WARP ENERGY IN PLACE OF FUEL AND, IN PART, OXYGEN. THAT DOES STILL MEAN THAT YOU REQUIRE A SOURCE OF IGNITION, WHICH IS USUALLY PROVIDED IN THE SAME MANNER AS LIGHTNING. THE FIRE ACTS LIKE NORMAL FLAME STILL, THOUGH, ANY OTHER PROPERTIES TEND TO BE INHERENT TO THE WARP ENERGY USED AND FALL UNDER FULL SORCERY."**

 _'_ _Like the warpfire a Chaos sorcerer could wield melting through armour.'_

 **"** **YES, THAT WOULD BE AN EXAMPLE OF A SORCERER ALIGNED TO TZEENCH. I WOULD NOT EXPECT YOU TO BE ABLE TO MANIPULATE THE ENERGY OF THE WARP TO ALLOW SUCH ALTERATIONS FOR YEARS YET, PERHAPS CENTURIES. EVEN GENERATING A FIREBALL WITHOUT WEEKS OR MONTHS OF PRACTICE WOULD BE IMPRESSIVE."**

Taylor focused. She knew that her powers could, at the crudest, be compared to a watermill. A normal person was not a watermill, and was merely at the edge of the river- the river, in this case, being the Warp. She had the mill, and a small amount of water constantly flowed through, providing power, the fuel for her abilities. More powerful abilities required more water, meaning that she had to 'open' the gate, thus allowing more warp energy to flow through her. Of course, in the home universe of The Emperor that analogy would require the addition of piranhas or crocodiles to cover the possibility of allowing a daemon access to your mind and soul when drawing power, but that was taking the analogy too far and wasn't really relevant. The point was, she hadn't been using a great deal of warp energy in her escapades, preferring to manage on a lower, passively flowing amount, so this would be a relatively new experience. Somehow, she already knew it would be frustrating.

* * *

 **"** **AS I SAID, IT WILL TAKE TIME BEFORE YOU ARE ABLE TO USE FIRE."** The Emperor rumbled the next morning, as Taylor passed through the gates to her school.

 _'_ _Yes, I'm aware of that. Still, I had hoped for at least a slight progress. I don't have time to waste.'_

Taylor looked up, eyes narrowing as she looked at the stream of teenagers making their way into the school. As her powers developed and grew- and she spent more and more time running around the city fighting crime- she had become less and less dependent on sleep, but she had not yet reached the point where the four hours she had managed last night would suffice and she was tired. It made her irritable, and the thought of having to deal with her schoolmates made the irritation worse.

 _'_ _I don't have time to hang around here. I'm going to go with the plan we came up with, and get myself time until the Bay has calmed down and I'm more sure that the ABB or the Empire aren't going to start a war in the streets.'_ She said, coming to a conclusion.

 **"** **AS YOU WISH."**

Taylor reinforced her mental barrier of slight seclusion and picked up her pace, moving more quickly towards the school and hurrying through, her destination clear in her mind: the office of the Headmistress. As always, a secretary sat at a desk just outside the office, but the woman was merely a straw fence offering token resistance before the flood of personality and mind-altering psyker power that Taylor brought. Mostly psyker power, personality was something that Taylor reserved for people that she cared about. Nevertheless, she was able to pass into the Headmistress' office easily enough, and came face to face with the short, unpleasant form of Principal Blackwell. The degree to which the Principal reminded Taylor of the Director of the PRT was remarkable, and not in a good way. Taylor couldn't say she liked either of them. Bitter, miserable bureaucrats who delighted in making others miserable. Though Piggot at least had a reason, her experiences with the S-Class criminal cape Nilbog were something Taylor had come across in her research. Blackwell was just a bitch.

"Did you want something, Miss Hebert?" Blackwell asked. Taylor schooled her face in neutrality, hiding the sneer that wanted to flow so naturally across her features.

"I did, Principal. I wanted to talk about the Locker incident, actually." She said, politely. A tendril of psychic power snaked out at her command, sinking invisibly into Blackwell's mind. Just some minor manipulation would do, nothing too blatant. A slight nudge, just enough to push Blackwell into not dismissing her. It wasn't hard, the woman's mind had no strength to it.

"What about it?" Blackwell asked curtly. Taylor gritted her teeth and kept her expression in place. The Principal damn well knew about what Sophia Hess was doing, what she had done. So much for the inherent goodness of humanity.

"Well, my grades have been slipping since then, I'm still a little shaken about it. So, I was hoping that I could take some time off, to be tutored away from school."

Taylor gently moulded her power, swaying Blackwell. Normally, the woman would dismiss her request without a second thought, and normally Taylor would consider leaving a retreat and unacceptable. But Coil was up to something and Bakuda was up to something and Taylor simply didn't have time to be in school. Blackwell looked up, faking interest. Taylor fought the urge to turn her into a vegetable or, even better, to implant little suggestions, little foolishnesses and stupidities in the psyche that would end in Blackwell having an 'accident'. Oh, it would be so easy, the elegance of the plan so delicious, but Taylor pushed the urge away. She wasn't a murderer. Not yet.

"Mm…it is not normally our policy, Miss Hebert, to allow such liberties. Especially not to those who have, as you say, slipping grades. Education is important, after all."

Taylor pressed her power a little harder, in preparation for her next statement.

"Yes, Principal. It's just that, well, I was talking to a friend who knows a solicitor and she thinks that, given what happened, I may not have been treated quite correctly…"

Taylor pushed part of Blackwell's mind, increasing her fear of being found out while dulling her logic. Blackwell might accuse her of blackmail if Taylor wasn't careful. Taylor spoke on, before Blackwell had a chance to.

"And I've been looking at some psychology and it says that it might be better for me if I can take a break, come back more stable. And if I improve after I come back, you can hold it up as a wonderful idea…my improvement would all be down to you, of course."

A little flattery and promises of reward never hurt, and it made Taylor's job easier as she carefully altered tiny emotions and thoughts to steer Blackwell in the direction of her thinking and tweaked the Principals memories, just a little. Blackwell would remember this 'study break' as her idea. It would definitely make her a lot less likely to bring it to the attention of anyone important.

"I…see. You have a tutor, you say?" Blackwell asked. Taylor let a small, polite smile replace her neutral expression, rather than the distinctly feral grin that was her first thought. Hook, line and sinker. And if the tutor she was speaking of was The Emperor, what of it? He was certainly closer to her than any other teacher could be.

 _'_ _There is something wonderful about success.'_ Taylor mused as she walked away from the school, a piece of paper recording her eventual agreement with Blackwell- a month long break, with no repercussions provided she passed a class test at the end of it with a good mark. An excellent agreement, and one that would give her plenty of time to deal with the tensions that were quickly rising in Brockton Bay.

 _'_ _Hmm…what's the best way to deal with it, do you think?'_

 **"** **I WOULD FIND INFORMATION BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT TO MAKE ANY SOLID PLANS."**

 _'_ _Well, I suppose that you're right. Lucky that we have all this free time from now on, yes?'_

 **"** **YOU STILL NEED TO RECREATE A STAFF. AND GOING OUT IN THE DAYLIGHT IS INADVISABLE, WHEN YOU HAVE ONLY JUST CEASED GOING TO SCHOOL. IT WILL MAKE YOU EASIER TO IDENTIFY."**

Taylor tutted as she walked.

 _'_ _Take away all fun, why don't you? But you are right. I suppose it's to a park for some wood then. Ah, it's a glamorous life I lead.'_

* * *

That night Taylor left her house again, sneaking out of the bedroom window after her father had gone to bed. Her new staff hung loosely in her hand, still rough to the touch but passable, and she moved through the shadows with confidence. She knew the location of at least one Empire safehouse, and she fully intended to hit it- after all, she wanted information on Coil, and who would know better than his enemies? Apart from his friends and himself, naturally, but Coil's operations were a little bit more discreet, a little bit harder to find for her. And so, Empire it was. She actually hoped that she didn't run into any Empire capes: for all that she would like a re-match with Hookwolf, it was something that she wanted to be ready for. Something she could go in and open with a sucker punch. She kept a good pace, and soon came to the Empire safehouse: very much a non-descript building, a terraced house in a poorer part of town. Taylor hid herself in a shadow on the opposite side of the street and considered.

 _'_ _Six men in the building. Both neighbours are occupied, three people in the right side house and two in the left. They're all asleep, but I don't know if they'll ring the police or PRT if they get woken up. We'll have to do this nice and quiet then…'_

That was a pity. Taylor had been toying with the idea of faking an assault by Coil's men, using her ability to change memories to alter the remembrance of the attack, but it wouldn't work here. Too many witnesses. She'd have to put it off for a different safehouse. A real shame, it would have been very convenient for her if she could persuade the Empire to draw Coil out for her.

 **"** **IT WOULD APPEAR THAT YOU WILL BE FORCED TO BE STEALTHY."** The Emperor commented. Taylor sighed.

 _'_ _It certainly appears so. This takes all the fun out of breaking, entering and assault. I can't even be too scary, if they start screaming it might be an issue.'_

Ah well, she couldn't always get her way she supposed. Taylor looked carefully at the safe house, trying to decide on a way in. A window on the uppermost floor, with a drainpipe close by offered a possibility. She sneaked across to the bottom of the drainpipe, and realised that she couldn't climb up with her staff in hand.

 _'_ _Remind me to create some kind of carrier for my staff, in case I have to do this again.'_ She said, before laying her staff carefully down and taking a grip on the drainpipe, testing its strength. She guessed that it would hold, but she wasn't certain that this was the best way. After all, it was quite possible that the window would be unable to open far enough. If she climbed up the drainpipe and then found herself stuck outside the window it would ruin her reputation. Even if no-one ever learned of it.

 **"** **WITH THE ADDITION OF LIGHTENING YOURSELF, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO CLIMB UP WITHOUT ANY UNDUE PROBLEMS. BUT YOU ARE CORRECT, THE WINDOW MAY NOT OFFER AN ACCESS POINT WITHOUT BEING BROKEN."**

 _'_ _Y'know what? I'm just going to try the door.'_

Subtlety was overrated anyway. Taylor pulled her staff back into her hand with a flicker of telekinetic force, and walked to the door. Locked. Here she had a conundrum: did she smash the door down, or try something less violent? Well, she might as well attempt a less direct manner, she decided.

 _'_ _I wonder if I can pick locks using telekinesis?'_

As it turned out, she might not have been able to. The Emperor, however, had more knowledge on how locks worked, and therefore was able to coach her through it. It only took a minute or so before the lock clicked and Taylor eased the door open.

 _'_ _I'll have to practice that. Being able to do it is really useful.'_ She mused as she carefully shut the door. She turned on her heel, just as a shaven-headed man in a white vest and dark trousers stepped out of the room that bordered the small entrance hall. There was an instant of staring at one another, and then the Empire goon opened his mouth. Taylor reacted instinctively, and a gesture and a flicker of power closed his airway. The shout turned to a choked gasp, and Taylor lunged past the choking man into the living room. There was one other man in there.

"Barry? What-"

Taylor caught the second man off guard, stunning him with a blow from her staff and knocking him unconscious with the familiar spark of psionic power, transmitted through her fingertips. She turned back to the first man, cancelling the effect of her power on him as she saw that he was lying still on the floor. Taylor quickly knelt next to him, checking for a pulse: she needed to know if he was alive. After all, Shadow Stalker- Sofia Hess- had been shanghaied into the Wards after nearly killing a man. If Taylor had just killed the Empire goon his body would need to disappear. And his friends. She hoped he was still alive, it was a long way to the Bay when carrying several bodies. Fortunately, he had a pulse.

 _'_ _Well, that's a relief. It would be quite embarrassing to tell Piggot that I wasn't as stupid as Shadow Stalker and then accidentally kill a man.'_

Taylor patted the unconscious man on the head and stood up. There were still four more men in the house, after all. Taylor took a moment to locate them, feeling the approximate location of their minds, and set off, treading carefully. There were two in a single room upstairs, one on the ground floor with her and one final goon in a different upstairs room.

 _'_ _The individuals first, then.'_

The man downstairs was easy: he was in the kitchen, head bobbing from side to side as he listened to music on a pair of headphones. Taylor simply crept up behind him and rendered him unconscious with her usual close range psionic spark. She dragged him into the living room, leaving him next to the first two before moving to the stairway. She looked at the uncarpeted stairs for a moment, before deciding not to risk them creaking and carefully using a variation of her levitation to lighten herself until she could be sure of making no noise. It was still somewhat tiresome, but not as tiring as fully levitating would be. She reached the top of the stairs, finding herself in a small corridor, with three doors leading off from it. The noise of running water came from behind one, and a soft creaking and moaning from the other. Taylor settled into a kneeling position while she briefly conversed with The Emperor.

 _'_ _Interrupt a shower or a couple having sex. Somehow, I never thought that this situation would come up.'_

The Emperor gave a deep laugh, which was particularly odd given its monotone nature.

 **"** **AN UNFORTUNATE SITUATION INDEED. HOWEVER, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT THE SHOWERING CRIMINAL WOULD BE BETTER- IT WILL BE LESS AWKWARD FOR YOU AND IF YOU WAIT THE…INTIMATE COUPLE, SHALL WE SAY, MAY WELL HAVE FALLEN ASLEEP. OR CAN BE GENTLY PERSUADED TO DO SO."**

Taylor had to admit, the suggestion had merit. One naked person was definitely less awkward than two naked people, even without the whole sex thing. With that in mind, she placed her hand against the bathroom door. It was held shut with a deadbolt, but…well, telekinesis. Unimaginably versatile. The bolt slid back, and Taylor shoved the door open. The man had just gotten out of the shower, and was nowhere near fast enough to react as she rapped her staff against his head, channelling a psionic spark through the wood as an experiment. He dropped like a sack of potatoes. Unfortunately, that meant that Taylor had to catch him. Which meant that she briefly had a skinny, scrawny, ugly gang member pressed against her body. She let him slide quietly to the floor and immediately began to shudder and flail in disgust.

 _'_ _I've changed my mind on the relative awkwardness of the two situations. Also, I think any attraction to men that I had has gone. At least for a while.'_

The Emperor was laughing. Absolute bastard, Taylor concluded, and communicated that to him as she dropped a towel on the fallen Empire member, to cover him up. He was certainly not the best example of the male form.

 _'_ _Alright, now for the love-bunnies.'_

She used the plan that The Emperor had suggested, with a slight change. The man in the room was hit by a deep suggestion that he should sleep: combined with the fact that he was falling asleep anyway, it took easily and held fast. The woman was urged to head to the bathroom, and Taylor dragged the scrawny gang member aside and lurked behind the door, waiting. It was easy to surprise the woman, and Taylor staggered her with a strong blow to the back of the head and pushed her against the wall. Their eyes met, and Taylor broke into her mind with ease. She was more experienced now than she had been the first time, and the woman would suffer no ill effects beyond disorientation for a few hours after she awoke: it was a simple matter to alter memories so that she believed she had simply been knocked unconscious. Taylor smiled to herself. Fortune had smiled upon her: the woman was the highest ranked Empire member in the building and had known the location of a larger Empire storehouse and the hiding places of the drug, weapon and cash stashes in this safehouse. One quick looting trip and she could be on her way.

The second Empire safehouse was a warehouse. Looking derelict, Taylor could sense the busy minds within, almost a dozen. She carefully scouted, making sure that there were no security cameras in the warehouse that might disrupt her plans, and then smiled to herself. Trying to be stealthy had been surprisingly enjoyable- disturbingly naked goons aside- but there was something far more delectable in the thrill of full combat. Not that she would be taking credit for it…no, there were no cameras and so she could make use of her plan to point the Empire at Coil. She sneaked into the warehouse, concentrated, and cast her illusion. To the gang members, sound and sight suddenly ceased to function. An instant later Taylor tore their weapons from them, and moved swiftly among them to knock them out. Fast, clean, efficient. She didn't have time to torment, she had memories to modify. Twelve implanted memories of an assault by the distinctively equipped mercenaries that Coil favoured, and Taylor was almost done. It was easy to pile the Empire members just outside the door, and take her share of the loot in the warehouse before using the skills at arson that The Emperor had acquired over his life to ignite an area at the back of the building, far away from the gang members. Taylor waited long enough to see the warehouse fully catch light, and then left with a smile on her face. One minor gang war for her benefit, made to order. She had to admit, she would consider this particular night quite a success.

* * *

Two nights later, Taylor was less certain of the success of her plan. She had expected some fighting to be underway by now, but it seemed like Coil and the Empire had either come to a truce or were being unexpectedly cautious. How annoying. She was crouched on another rooftop, considering whether to step up her efforts and include the ABB in her attempts at provoking a minor gang war when her cell phone vibrated in her pocket. Taylor pulled it out, frowning at the number she didn't recognise, but answering.

"Circaetus!"

Even in a whisper, the voice was easy to recognise.

"Tattletale? What-"

"There isn't any time! Bakuda, she- she came after us, she wants us for her head bomb squad! She's already got Bitch and Regent, she's coming after me, you're the only one who can help!"

Taylor immediately shelved her questions about where exactly Tattletale had gotten her phone number at that. Bakuda with civilian suicide bombers was bad enough. With a fairly capable cape squad? Bad news, especially given that it would more than double the effective Cape power of the ABB. Triple, in fact, since Oni Lee was still in PRT custody.

There was an explosion in the distance, and Taylor slowly turned to see that fire was already licking at the walls of the PRT building. Alright. Maybe Oni Lee would not be in custody for much longer. Taylor gritted her teeth, fighting the urge to hang up and go to help the Wards. No, she concluded, they were smart enough to avoid tangling with Lung. Save the Undersiders first, prevent Bakuda and Lung from acquiring a potentially deadly asset.

"Alright." She said into the phone. "Tell me where you are, and I'll be on my way."

* * *

 _ **Another Chapter done, another cliffhanger. Sometimes I worry that I'm becoming predictable. Regardless, we got to see the aftermath of Chapter 3, and some extra. Taylor skipping school isn't permanent, but I needed a way to avoid having to write 'Taylor was in school and-' multiple times.**_

 ** _As ever, I hope you enjoyed it, and feel free to put down any thoughts you have in a review._**


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: nothing here belongs to me.**

* * *

Immediately after hanging up Taylor set off, roof hopping and hastily punching another number into the phone.

"Circ? This had better be good, we got problems." Glory Girl said, picking up on the third ring.

"Yeah, I know. Lung attacking the PRT building to break out Lee?"

"Yup. Could really use you here."

"Yeah…about that. Turns out, Bakuda has kidnapped the Undersiders and is taking a shot at minion-ising them. Big problem, I need to stop it."

There was a momentary pause, in which Taylor could hear wind noise- Glory Girl must have been flying.

"I'm gonna be honest, Circ, I don't actually see the problem." She admitted. Taylor sighed, making a psychic assisted leap between two buildings. She was getting closer to Tattletale, but it was going to take a few more minutes.

"Not a problem? Well, imagine the Central Bank debacle happening again. And then replace Regent and Hellhound with suicide bombers and give Grue a tinkertech weapon."

The pause this time was shorter.

"Shit."

"Yeah."

"Yeah, alright I see your point. Could really have used you against Lung though, so try to be quick? Good luck, Circ."

Taylor gave a gentle laugh.

"I'm not the one heading towards Lung, Glory. Good luck yourself." She replied. A brief chuckle was her only reply, before Glory Girl hung up and Taylor could focus on moving. Despite her levity she was concerned now: Glory Girl was tough, but Lung was Lung. He was…unprecedented. Taylor herself would want to avoid anything remotely like a fair fight with him, never mind a full contact physical brawl. Glory Girl didn't lack guts, that was for certain.

 _'_ _So, do you have any plans before I go rushing in to confront a mad bomber and her inevitable terrified minions?'_ Taylor mentally asked, deciding that she might as well put up some semblance of planning this time. She didn't have that much experience with the ABB, but she thought that they were quite similar to the Empire in terms of basic thugs. Just with more focus on cheaply made katanas and poorly learned martial arts.

 **"** **IF YOU ARE INSISTENT UPON SAVING THE UNDERSIDERS, THEN IT IS BEST TO UNDERSTAND THAT WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO FREE THEM ALL IN ONE ATTEMPT. OF ALL OF THEM YOU SHOULD FOCUS UPON THE GIRL, TATTLETALE."**

 _'_ _You think so?'_

 **"** **YES. HER POWER ALLOWS HER TO STRATEGISE, TO PLAN, TO FIND INFORMATION. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER."**

 _'_ _Guard it well. Tattletale first, then, and Grue if possible. They have the most utility and would make it a lot harder to deal with Bakuda. Although I thought Lung wanted them dead…think there's some power plays going on in the ABB?'_

 **"** **IT IS POSSIBLE. PERHAPS TATTLETALE WILL KNOW MORE."**

' _Yeah. I just hope that we can be done before Lung gets back. Fighting him wouldn't end well. Especially not fighting him alone.'_

The Emperor grunted agreement: he and Taylor had discussed the possibility of facing Lung, and concluded that the best chance they had at the moment was to do as much damage as possible and run while he regenerated. Lung simply healed too fast for anything she had to put him down without a mind-frying psychic attack, which brought the issue of revealing her full power. Which, of course, she was actively trying to avoid. At least until her power had grown enough that she could handle herself against any hostility. But Bakuda shouldn't require such measures. She would just have to be careful.

* * *

Taylor paused when she reached the Trainyard, a section of the Docks opposite the shop-filled Boardwalk. She hadn't been here before: there wasn't much call for her presence, as The Empire rarely ventured here, especially in the kind of force that would attract her attention. Regardless, she knew her way around. Her father was the head of the Dockworkers Association after all, she had gained some knowledge by simple information diffusion.

 _'_ _Alright. So the building is over in that direction, it's a storehouse. There will be ABB and Bakuda.'_

 **"** **AND POSSIBLY OTHERS. THE UNDERSIDERS ARE NOT WITHOUT SKILL, BAKUDA MAY HAVE SOME OTHER REINFORCEMENTS.'**

 _'_ _Right. Yeah. Well, there's no point in waiting. We aren't going to find out anything by standing here.'_

Taylor moved quickly and quietly, tucking her staff behind her back as she ran, slightly crouched to better hide. It wasn't actually a storehouse that she was looking for: rather, it was a large collection of storage lockers, a mixture of ramshackle sheds and abandoned shipping crates that formed a sort of maze, held behind a battered chain-link fence. Once used as makeshift housing by people down on their luck, an epidemic of crime and the proliferation of drug dens and gangs had left the storage depot a sad and desolate ghost town. A perfect place for the Undersiders to leave a stash, really. Taylor didn't know the exact location of the Undersiders locker, but she knew that Tattletale was somewhere around. Once she was in the approximate area she could locate the villain with her powers: Taylor could already feel people, she just wasn't close enough to identify them yet. It wouldn't take long, and she headed for the largest concentration of minds, planning as she went. If needed she would mount the shacks long enough to deliver a surprise attack and grab Tattletale before running. Pragmatism. And then she sensed a cluster of minds, surrounding one that she recognised as Tattletale, and saw two figures atop a shack. Taylor made a jump, using her power to boost herself to the top of the nearest locker and leaping between the roofs, the thin corrugated iron bending alarmingly under her boots but holding.

 _'_ _Two on the shack, most dangerous and I'll deal with them last. Drop next to Tattletale and use a shockwave to clear out the goons?'_

 **"** **A REASONABLE PLAN. JUST BE READY TO ESCAPE IF NEEDED."**

 _'_ _Yeah, I know. Back into action we go.'_

Taylor leaped from the last roof, landing next to Tattletale. Her staff slammed down, and a whipping circle of power expanded out around her, the circle not touching Tattletale but slamming into the closing ring of goons. They went everywhere, swept aside by the telekinetic burst, and Taylor raised her head to look at the two figures atop the shack.

"Howdy." She drawled, sizing them up. The pink and white costumes were a little garish, but sometimes garish did not mean ineffective. One of them was hardly impressive: pudgy and slouched over, he didn't cut an impressive figure. The other, Taylor dispassionately noted, had a physique that was best described a chiselled. Maybe even heroic, but that didn't make him all that dangerous. Parahuman powers were funny like that, for all she knew the big guy had the power to breathe bubbles while the small guy could punch out a mountain. She doubted it though, mainly because she recognised them. Or thought she did, anyway.

"Uber and Leet, right? What are a pair of two-bit bottom-feeders like you doing taking on the Undersiders?" she asked. The indignant way they twitched made her smile. Easy, easy, easy. Too quick to annoy. In fact, she almost felt bad for doing it. Almost.

"That's some big talk from someone who's biggest contribution for far has been getting hospitalised by Oni Lee." Uber replied after a moment. Taylor laughed.

"Oh, that's cute. How long have you been working on that one, genius? Real witty banter there."

"He's been using his power to make him witty, probably." Tattletale supplied from behind her. Taylor grinned behind her mask.

"He definitely hasn't been using it to be fashionable." She replied. She glanced around herself, seeing that a couple of the goons had gotten back up.

"You know, I guess that I should be intimidated. Known villains and all that. But then again, do these two really count? Anyone who's best day involves beating up a streetwalker needs pity more than anything else."

Uber and Leet glared at her, and Taylor eyed their camera from the corner of her eye. She was tempted to destroy it, but ultimately she wanted the whole of their fanbase to see them get beaten. It wouldn't exactly be a new thing: the two ineffectual villains ran a website, streaming their low quality and frequently unsuccessful crimes, but it would be some decent publicity for her.

"Anyway. What say you two go home, and call out Bakuda? I don't have time for the minnows right now."

Leet growled in anger, but Uber put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't. She's provoking you."

"What? Oh, no I'm not. I'm genuinely terrified of the chinless wonder over there. He might flub something so badly he actually hurts me as well as himself." Taylor mocked, taking a leaf from Tattletale. Uber muttered something to Leet, then dropped to the ground, standing a fair distance away from Taylor.

"Alright, Circaetus. You've made your point. But let's see if Brockton Bays latest two-bit vigilante is all talk or not." He said, his rich voice low. He gestured, and the goons- those recovered enough to stand again- advanced. Taylor shifted her stance and grinned to herself.

"Finally. Though I wouldn't rely on your power too much for insults Uber: it isn't exactly sterling quality."

The first goon came in. He was ABB, Taylor could tell, even though he was wearing a bandana that covered his face. Honestly, the katana was a real clue. Taylor rolled her eyes and stepped away from the clumsy swing, flicking her hand at him. A tiny application of power sent a gust of dust into his face, and as he cried out and reached for his eyes she lazily smacked his hand with her staff and took his katana, thumping the back of his head with the hilt. A half turn and a raise of the hand brought her stolen sword up, clashing with another that was directed at her head. Taylor shoved her staff into the man's belly and blew him into a shack with a psychic pulse.

"Two. Two, is that it? Man, henchman standards have gone down. Not that I blame them…I'd be reluctant to attack if I was armed with this shit." She commented, inspecting the blade in her hand. The Emperor didn't like katanas, she knew: they just didn't suit his theme. Or the staff and sword style she favoured, if she was honest. This one was particularly poorly made, but she supposed that beggars can't be choosers.

 _'_ _What I'd give for a proper Force Sword. I could cut Lung in half with one of those.'_

 **"** **LEARN TO FORGE AND YOU CAN MAKE YOURSELF ONE."**

 _'_ _Well, maybe.'_

Taylor looked around: there were maybe half a dozen goons left. She nodded to herself.

"Hey, guys? I'm going to do you a favour here. You see, I've been working with my powers, and I've worked out that I can do some pretty neat things."

Even as she spoke, Taylor stretched out her power to the dust and debris around her. There were very few large pieces, but more than enough dust for what she planned.

"See, I wanted to copy what Rune did, but then I thought…well, why settle for inferiority? Rune, if you're watching, I just want you to know: I'm definitely the better telekinetic of the two of us. And this should demonstrate just perfectly."

Taylor raised the katana, perpendicular to her body, and swept it down. An instant later she felt the distinctive pressure that indicated her eyes were glowing, and a storm of dust and fragments rose around her, complete with three larger sheets of corrugated iron that she kept low to the ground- Tattletale had backed away and was pressed against a shack wall behind her. Taylor gave a brief mental sweep to ensure that there was nobody near her- she was safe, Bakuda's mind was a way behind Uber and Leet.

"So," she said, raising her voice and registering the sudden increase of fear from Uber, Leet and the goons,

"Who wants it first?"

She didn't even wait for a response, pushing the dust storm ahead of her and lunging at the nearest goon. The ABB member- a tall, heavily built man- cowered, a scream coming from his throat. Taylor laid him flat with a blow from her staff, and moved on through his friends, quickly bringing them down. She turned towards Uber just in time to hear him cry out.

"Leet!"

Taylor shifted her gaze to the Tinker, just in time to see him pull a cartoonish bomb from his backpack and clumsily overhand it towards her. She swung her staff, and one of the larger plates intercepted it, causing a blast of force that billowed her coat and briefly dispersed the dust storm. She let it settle- it would be more a hindrance now that only Uber and Leet were left.

"Well, not bad." She said, in a mock thoughtful tone.

"You didn't blow yourself up, at least."

Uber took a stance opposite her, and Taylor noted it as a swordsman's stance.

 _'_ _I'm regretting the posturing with that katana now.'_ She mentally remarked, remembering that Uber had the power to be good at anything. Not great, maybe, but she was hardly a practiced swordswoman. Well, at least she'd be learning something. Leet was glaring at her.

"Circaetus, be careful. Those bombs are holograms, but they pack a punch." Tattletale said from behind her. Taylor looked over her shoulder long enough to offer a nod, and when she looked back Uber had a sword in his hand. Again, it was rather cartoonish, but it was presumably sharp.

"I'm going to be honest, I don't play video games. So…any chance you'll tell me what that is?" she tried. Uber seemed to like boasting. Maybe he'd talk.

"You don't know…what sort of philistine are you? This, this is the Master Sword, the great weapon of Link! A legendary Hero!"

"And yet you are using it. The sword probably feels ashamed." Taylor deadpanned, subtly pumping power into her katana and staff. Leet usually had issues with building consistent tech, but he could make something great on occasion. Anything called 'The Master Sword'- capital letters, no less- was probably pretty sharp and tough. The piece of crap katana she was using would need reinforcing. Hopefully the stress of her power wouldn't shatter it before she was done.

"Alright then. Disregarding ruminations on the irony of you using the sort of a great Hero, what say we see how good we both are?"

Uber raised his sword to the guard position. Taylor crossed her staff and sword flat before her, and idly wondered how long it would be before one of them cheated. She gave it fifteen seconds. At best. Oh well.

Uber lunged.

Blade met blade, sparks showering as psyker reinforced steel clashed with whatever the Master Sword was made from. Taylor swung for Uber's knee with her staff, but he slid aside, disengaging with a flourish. Low swipe, meeting staff before a katana thrust was dodged with a roll of the head and a spinning step away. Taylor went on the attack. The katana was awkward and poorly balanced but sharp, and Uber was forced back, his hands moving in smooth motions to parry and block and Taylor abruptly found her attack reversed and her desperate defence used sword and staff but she could feel her katana cracking, breaking, unable to withstand the stress of combat alongside the crackling thrum of her power. Time to cheat.

"Hey, Uber!" Taylor panted out as they fought, "You enjoying this? Because I'm having a _blast!"_

A moment after the word, Taylor hopped back a step and threw her katana into the air, ramming a destructive charge through it. Barely a second after she threw it she threw up a telekinetic shield, and the sword ruptured into spinning metal shards. Uber screamed, staggering away: he was barely hurt, but he was shocked and frightened and Taylor took the moment pause to ram a boot into his stomach, slam the Master Sword from his hand with her staff and shove him away. A moment later she stretched her hand out to him and made a gripping motion, curling a telekinetic fist into his uniform.

"Get over here!" she snarled, yanking him towards her and meeting his stomach with her staff, holding him up for an instant before hurling him at Leet with a burst of power. The Tinker didn't dodge fast enough, and they both fell from the shack roof into a tangled mess of limbs. Taylor smiled.

"Having fun yet, Dynamic Duo?"

Twin groans were her reply, and she gave a brief glance at Tattletale.

"These two really took down all four of you? Did they get the drop or something?"

Tattletale stood, looking a little shaky still.

"Got the drop yeah, but not just them. Didn't I tell you-"

"That they weren't alone?" asked a mechanical, hissing voice.

* * *

Taylor looked up at the shack roof once more, having sensed Bakuda long before she arrived. When she saw the ABB cape, however, she did a double-take.

"Oh. Oh my. Bakuda, much as I appreciate the costume, it's a little odd."

The same pink and white garb as Uber and Leet, topped off by a heavy gas-mask with ominous red lenses? Odd. Very odd.

"I mean, I dig the Wolfenstein look, sure. Very intimidating. But given that you're part of an Asian gang in a city that also contains a bunch of Neo-Nazis, I'm not sure the look is quite… _Reich."_

Tattletale spluttered behind her.

"A…A _nazi_ joke? Really?"

Taylor shrugged.

"I take my cheap shots when I can get them." She admitted, "It was just the most obvious joke."

"Yes, highly amusing." Bakuda hissed, her mask fixed on Taylor with unnerving steadiness.

"Your quips will no doubt be just as amusing after you join the rest of The Undersiders in my ranks."

Taylor blinked at Bakuda, then narrowed her eyes at the villain.

"Alright, Explodigirl. No need to be too hasty. Fact is though, I've got three objections to what you said. One, I'm not an Undersider. Two, if I was to let any villain have their wicked way with me it sure wouldn't be you. And third… _fight's not over yet."_

Taylor called a storm of shrapnel forth with barely a twitch of her hand, hurling it at Bakuda before sprinting for Tattletale.

"We have to go, right now." She snapped. Tattletale nodded hastily, letting Taylor pull her up.

"I thought you would have stayed." She admitted. Taylor shook her head as she hustled the two of them along.

"Not against a Tinker who's got the ground prepared. Not if I have a choice."

"Good call. She used some kind of grenade against us, from the way Grue and Regent reacted it causes pain. Too much to stand."

"What, really? Wow. That's pretty nasty. Try to avoid her grenades, then?"

"If you can."

Taylor and Tattletale went quiet after the last dry remark by The Undersider, and continued running. As they did so Taylor hoped that the Snitch- the tiny, nigh indestructible floating camera that Uber and Leet employed to record their acts- wasn't following them. If it was, Bakuda might well be able to find them by looking at the Internet Stream. That would be awkward. And then there was an explosion.

"Woah!"

Taylor lurched back several steps, dragging Tattletale with her.

"She's using it to pen us in. Keep us in the area, so her goons can get us." Tattletale panted, a little out of breath from running. Taylor bit her lip, glaring around at the storage shacks.

 _'_ _What I wouldn't give for an Iron Halo right now. Should have spent some more time on stealing tech to build my own.'_

Regardless of past regrets, she needed to do the best with what she had. And what she had was a pocketful of psyker powers that she had more or less never broken out before. Maybe she should have pretended to be a wizard, actually, like that Cape she had vaguely heard of. Fireballs, lightning, telekinesis, wizard would cover the lot of it. Oh well, regrets were pointless.

"So, do you have a plan?" she asked Tattletale, feigning casualness. The villain seemed shaken, shaking her head.

"No. I- my power doesn't work like that. She's got henchmen all over the place, we can't get away without taking them on. And they're all either ABB or they're being forced to help her by something- bombs in their heads I think. We might have to fight our way out but I don't know if we can."

Taylor normally might have flinched at the thought of facing off against potential innocents who could explode at any given moment. In this case, she merely steeled her resolve and looked directly at Tattletale.

"How vulnerable to tampering are the bombs? Say, if the people were tasered, would there be an explosion?"

Tattletale blinked at her, and then frowned, the expression shifting to one of pain a moment later.

"No. No, I don't think so. But I can't tell for certain."

An echoing roar shook the air after Tattletale spoke, and Taylor gave a worried glance to the PRT headquarters. Lung must be seriously ramped up to make a noise like that.

"Doesn't matter. We'll go the way she wants, smash through and escape. Bakuda might have planned for The Undersiders, but I said it before: I'm not an Undersider."

Tattletale still looked unsure.

"But-"

Taylor looked her in the eyes, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Buts will get us nowhere, Tattletale. Have faith. Have courage."

The villain sagged for a moment, then let out a weary laugh and straightened.

"You really do believe that. How do you manage it, Hero?"

Taylor didn't even have to think about the answer, it rose from the depths of her soul…and perhaps some of the still foggy memories she shared with The Emperor.

"Doubt is for the dying, Tattletale. Come on. We're alive, so we aren't beaten yet."

Immediately following her words Taylor set off, locating the largest cluster of minds nearby and moving towards them, Tattletale quietly following her. There were only about half a dozen goons there: all in the green and red bandanas of the ABB.

"So, your power giving you anything better?" Taylor asked Tattletale, making conversation as she gathered her power. This would have to be very precise.

"Being tasered won't detonate the bombs. No guarantee that Bakuda won't afterwards, though. So, do you have a Taser?"

Taylor smiled slightly behind her mask, keeping a careful eye on the group as the ABB goons raised their guns: those who had them, at least. Two revolvers, a pistol and a machine-pistol. Not too much.

"A Taser? Well, not as such. Just wait and see."

"Fire!"

Taylor raised her staff, and a triangle of force formed before her, deflecting the bullets with contemptuous ease. Her left hand rose, pointing at the closest ABB goon, and she raised her voice as the shooting died down.

"You ever rubbed your feet on the carpet then given someone a static shock?"

Blank stares were her reply, and Taylor shrugged.

"Try doing it as a full force telekinetic. The results are positively _electric."_

And lightning arced from her hand.

* * *

It was hard to make out Bakuda's expression when they emerged from the storage yard utterly unharmed, but Taylor could feel the emotions boiling off the villain. Rage, disbelief, a taste of fear…Taylor relished it. And the fear coming from the more numerous henchmen she had with her, so much stronger than Bakuda's, suddenly began to shift to Taylor. It was practically exquisite.

"I have to commend you on your plan, Bakuda. It was reasonably well constructed…assuming, of course, that none of your opponents are really combat rated Parahumans. Inflexible, though. What exactly are you going to do now?"

Bakuda began to monologue. Taylor tuned her out, preferring instead to extend psychic tendrils to each member of the ABB and the local conscripts that Bakuda had surrounding her, forging a channel for lightning or easier psyker attacks. She would have increased their fear and tried to make them run, but Bakuda probably had her finger on the bomb trigger. Too much risk. Besides, Taylor had no wish to be splattered in brain matter. She kept her eyes on Bakuda as she ordered some kid- some poor Korean kid, looked like he wasn't even out of school yet- to get a gun, and shoot. Taylor turned her gaze upon him, wondering. Would the kid actually do it? She wouldn't have begrudged him a shot- she was easily able to deflect it. And then she felt defiance flare in the kid and he fired into the sky, and Bakuda's mood turned ugly immediately. There was a faint buzzing noise, and the kid just liquefied. Turned to goop, a human puddle on the ground. Taylor blinked. Tattetale gasped quietly. Bakuda laughed.

"I'd forgotten I'd even made that one!" she crowed, the mechanical translator in her mask making the creepy laughter and tone even creepier. Taylor idly considered the chance of reaching her, punching her skull off and then covering it up. Poor chances: there was a crowd, and that was a lot of bodies to hide. Plus she was fairly sure that Uber and Leets Snitch was still watching. Damn, this little act would be giving their viewers them quite a show.

 _'_ _Alright. Shock the crowd, flip the jeep, hope Bakuda gets crippled in the action?'_

 **"** **KEEP ONE HAND FREE, YOU MIGHT NEED IT FOR A SHIELD. SHE'S NOT SHOWING IT ALL THAT MUCH, BUT THERE'S A GRENADE LAUNCHER ON THE SEAT."**

 _'_ _If only there wasn't so many people around, I could really use that. One 'jam' and Bakuda is…well...'_

 **"** **JAM?"**

 _'_ _Oh, very funny.'_

 **"** **I CERTAINLY THOUGHT SO."**

 _'_ _You would do.'_

The rapid exchange took less than a second, and Taylor kept her gaze on the cackling Bakuda throughout.

"Bakuda." She said, injecting a measure of steel into her voice. The Tinker stopped laughing, the gas mask tilting towards Taylor.

"What? Some little last words, Hero?"

Taylor ignored the mockery, lifting her staff a little as though deep in thought. And then the realisation hit her.

 _'_ _The crowd is half civilians! I can't shock them on live tv, the PRT will be on me like lice!'_

 **"** **YOU MUST DO SOMETHING. BLIND THEM WITH YOUR LIGHTNING?"**

 _'_ _Bloody Tinker bitch!'_ Taylor mentally raged, but she went through her hastily planned words anyway. She was in too deep to make many changes now.

"Well, I suppose you could say that. Really, it's a simple thing that I want to say, something that you've apparently forgotten: I am not helpless."

The staff slammed down, and an bolt of lightning raced up her staff and burst in a blinding, eye searing display. Taylor herself had closed her eyes and turned away, and so was almost unaffected, but the crowd were blinded and terrified and they quickly dissolved into panicking chaos. Bakuda, at least partially protected by the lenses of her gasmask, howled in incoherent rage. A grenade came hurtling towards Taylor, thrown overhand and spiralling towards a slightly stumbling Tattletale, but Taylor trapped it in an orb of force, hurling it into the air to detonate relatively harmlessly. The orb absorbed most of the shrapnel before failing and letting the fragments fall more or less harmlessly, and Taylor changed her plan. She didn't attack the jeep: instead, she burst the lenses on Bakuda's gasmask with a carefully targeted blast of force. The Tinker screamed and fell over, and Taylor swatted Uber and Leets Snitch away before she grabbed Tattletale and ran, dashing past the crowd and away from the storage yard, running towards the warehouses in the Docks. She paused in the shadow of a large, derelict building.

"Can you see?" she snapped, having half-dragged the villain a short way. Tattletale looked at her, still blinking but focused.

"Yeah. Yeah, just about. Still a little blurry but your lightshow hasn't hurt too much."

"Good. Sorry about that, but I needed something surprising."

Tattletale gave Taylor a dry look.

"I'm guessing that it was a surprise to you too?"

Taylor shrugged.

"Hadn't considered that attacking a bunch of civilians would look real bad for me. Don't want the Protectorate or PRT to have anything to use against me."

"Hmm."

"Did you get anything from Bakuda? We could really use some information right now." Taylor said, looking around them and checking that no ABB were approaching- they had escaped the trap of the storage yard, but that was no guarantee of safety. Tattletale nodded.

"You hurt her. Hurt her badly. She was using toe rings to detonate her bombs, and a system in her gas-mask goggles to select which bombs to blow."

"In her goggles. The goggles that-"

"The goggles that you made explode, yeah. Best guess, she's real pissed. Best case, she's now blind."

"Blind? Please, I have more control than that."

 _'_ _Probably.'_

Honestly, Taylor wouldn't shed a tear over blinding Bakuda. It would be almost poetic justice, if what Tattletale said about the way Bakuda was using her bombs was correct. Tattletale locked an unwavering gaze upon Taylor.

"You should have killed her." She said quietly. Taylor shrugged.

"Maybe."

"She'll get a kill order once the PRT hears about what she's done to those civilians. You wouldn't even get trouble for it." Tattletale added. Taylor frowned. True as all that might be, Tattletale didn't sound like she normally would. Taylor locked eyes with the villain.

"And rest assured that when she receives that kill order, I will be happy to tear her skull off and mount it on my wall." Taylor said, a fraction of her temper breaking through her control.

"But until then, I'm not going to kill to satisfy your need for revenge."

Tattletale maintained eye contact for a few seconds more, then sagged.

"Right. Yeah, sorry. It's just…she's got Grue, Regent and Bitch, and with my boss always looking over me-"

"Tattletale. Focus. We'll get them back, but we need to get away from here first." Taylor interrupted, having successfully reined in her own anger. Tattletale nodded to her.

"Right. Right, okay. We need to get clear. Before she recovers, she might be smart enough to guess where we are."

"You think she's that smart?" Taylor asked doubtfully. The two of them started to walk, carefully staying in the shadows. Tattletale shrugged.

"Smart, yeah. What kind of smart is harder to tell. She'll be after you, though: she's got a fragile ego, and you put a serious dent in it."

Taylor sneered, though she knew Tattletale wouldn't see it through her mask.

"She can come after me all she likes. If it weren't for those hostages I would have buried her." She grumbled. Tattletale shrugged.

"If." She murmured. Taylor glanced aside.

"I want to know how a Tinker specialism in bombs lead to enough surgical expertise to implant bombs in skulls without killing them, or leading to extreme brain damage." She said sourly. Tattletale shrugged again.

"Maybe she had a lot of practice." She observed dourly, and Taylor grimaced at the thought. Practice. More like experiments. Bakuda was becoming more and more annoying, and Taylor was beginning to wonder how hard it would be to implant a suicidal mental command. Just a slip when preparing a bomb, and Bakuda would Tinker no more. There was a kind of elegance in that plan that briefly appealed to her, before she realised how much damage something like that could do and pushed the plan away. She kept it in the back of her mind, however, aware that it might eventually be used.

"Lung's gone quiet." Tattletale observed softly. Taylor darted a glance at her, and then turned on her heel, trying to hear. True to her word, there was no longer any roaring in the background. She hoped that meant that Lung had been defeated, his assault and attempted rescue of Oni Lee foiled, but she didn't trust to that hope. There wasn't anybody around, the ABB milling around near the storage yard. And then an engine roared and the minds of Bakuda and several flunkies moved fast towards them.

"Fuck. They're coming towards us." Tattletale cursed. Taylor rolled her shoulders, taking a better grip on her staff.

"Yeah. I noticed. Good thing we managed to leave the Snitch behind." She replied. She chewed her lip for a moment, understanding that it would be much harder to escape while Bakuda had the jeep. Vehicular destruction it was, then. The jeep approached, moving fast, and Taylor pushed Tattletale into the wall.

"Stay here." She ordered calmly, extending a psychic tendril to the jeep driver. Time to put Bakuda out of action. At least for the moment.

 _'_ _This way.'_ She mentally lured, reeling the driver towards her as she stepped out into the open. This would need timed well, but she could do it. She considered simply ramming the jeep into a wall, but this was better. More dramatic, it would put fear of her into Bakuda and the ABB. The jeep raced into sight, and Taylor heard Bakuda scream out.

"There she is! Run the bitch down!" the Tinker howled, clearly crazed by pain and psychotic ego damage. Taylor gestured with her free hand, and every tyre on the vehicle blew. It skidded towards her, and Taylor rammed a wedge of force directly into the engine, driving downwards and indicating the application with a downward swipe of her staff.

The vehicle flipped.

 _'_ _Hmm. Close.'_ Taylor observed, turning just as the vehicle flew over her head and dragging the driver free- not wearing a seatbelt, tut-tut. The ABB member was thrown clear, though he landed hard. To her slight disappointment, Bakuda was also thrown clear, though she had gone before the car was flipped and had landed in a heap about six feet from Taylor.

"Pathetic." Taylor remarked, derision filling her tone. The Tinker was trying to get up, just about getting to her hands and knees, so Taylor replicated her action from the Central Bank robbery, extending a hand and pressing Bakuda down with an easy application of force.

"All that talk and here you are. Beaten, fallen and grovelling at my feet." Taylor continued, stepping closer. The rage and fear was pouring off Bakuda, and some part of Taylor found it intoxicating.

"Maybe I'll just kill you." Taylor mused aloud, and Bakuda's fear increased.

"You can't- you won't! You're a hero, you don't do things like that!" she gasped out. Taylor raised an eyebrow and increased the force, until Bakuda slid from her hands and knees, forced prone by the weight of psychic energy.

"Maybe. Maybe. But after all those civilians, you think you won't get a kill order? I probably won't even be accused of anything. A tragic accident…killed when her driver crashed the jeep you were riding in."

Bakuda finally understood, and her terror overwhelmed her rage. Taylor smiled behind her mask.

"And there it is." She said, letting her voice lull into cold apathy, even though a twisted spike of anger coiled inside her and drove her onwards.

"All that time you spent, getting all worked up over causing terror, and you can't take it yourself. The big, bad Tinker, reduced to a whimpering child crying in the dark. All that ego, all that intelligence, all that power, and you still can't deny what you are: a weakling excuse for a human being. It really would be a mercy to end you here."

Taylor continued walking forwards, holding out her left hand and locking on to something that she had seen fall form the wrecked car: a katana, similar to the one she had wielded earlier. She glanced at it as it settled into her hand.

"Crude. Sloppy workmanship, poorly held edge, steel is probably soft or brittle. Don't worry though: I don't have to use it like it is. It'll be nice and sharp when I swing it."

Taylor again took a leaf from her actions at the bank, wrapping her power around Bakuda and forcing her to her knees, head bowed to expose her neck. The Tinker was struggling, but she was physically weak, not able to match Taylor's power. Decapitating Bakuda maybe wasn't the most easily covered up kill, but there would be plenty of explosives lying around to destroy the evidence once Taylor _took her skull and bathed in her bloo-_

 **"** **I THOUGHT YOU INTENDED TO LEAVE HER ALIVE?"**

The booming near-monotone cut through the anger that was swelling in her, bringing her back to her senses.

 _'_ _Maybe I've changed my mind.'_

 **"** **THAT IS, OF COURSE, YOUR PREROGATIVE. BUT BE CERTAIN THAT IT IS YOUR CHOICE BEFORE YOU SWING THAT BLADE."**

Taylor hesitated, standing quite still with the katana held loosely in her left hand. It would be easy, all she had to do was let her staff float for a moment, take the proper two-handed grip and strike, but she knew there was something wrong with it. For all that Bakuda deserved to die, it wouldn't be Taylor striking that blow. Not entirely, and that made a great deal of difference to her. She shook her head.

"Ah, Bakuda, consider yourself fortunate. It would be far too hard to cover up your body. Besides, I don't want to sully myself with your blood."

Taylor turned around, letting her power press Bakuda prone again before releasing it as she walked back towards Tattletale.

"No. Far better to leave you as you are. Let you crawl back to Lung, beaten and humbled. Maybe this will make you a better person, having known what it is like to be helpless before someone more powerful? Remember this day, Bakuda. Remember it well."

Taylor threw aside the katana. It was tainted, blackened by the memory of the unnatural fury that had come over her. She doubted that she would ever again be able to pick up such a blade without thinking of it. A good thing that The Emperor- and therefore Taylor- preferred European style weapons.

"The Snitch is back. It was watching the whole time." Tattletale informed her quietly, and Taylor resisted the urge to curse. It truly was fortunate that she had resisted her murderous urge: it would have outed across the entire Internet if she had given in.

"So they saw me show mercy." Taylor said, rather than what she was thinking. Tattletale shrugged.

"I suppose that's one way to look at it."

Taylor had reached The Undersider, and was about to ask her how they could get away when a rasping, cracked voice sounded from behind them.

"Learn, you say?"

Taylor turned, a slight frown crossing her face. Bakuda had already been unhinged: she might well have cracked entirely at this point. The Tinker was crouching, head down.

"Learn? Remember this? I'll remember it, yes, I'll remember it well."

Every instinct Taylor had started to scream at her, and she dragged her power to the surface in a sudden rush as Bakuda finished her words, her voice rising to an insane shriek.

"I'll remember! But you won't!"

At the howled last word the insane Tinker threw out her arms, and a half-dozen grenades sailed towards Taylor and Tattletale. Taylor had only an instant to react.

A hand snapped up, and three of the bombs were flung into the sky. The staff pointed, one more bomb being sent hurtling towards the sea, and Taylor simply flung her staff at another before realising there was one last bomb and she didn't have time and she turned to Tattletale, mind racing. A gesture, and the warehouse wall tore and splintered and dragged itself around them and Taylor wrapped her arms around Tattletale and smothered the pair of them in a psychic shield that would act almost like a barrier before the grenades exploded and a despairing shriek from Bakuda was the last thing Taylor heard, the world turning into heat and light and buffeting force.

Taylor stood slowly. Her ears rang and bright spots sometimes flickered across her vision but she was unhurt, no real pain. She turned her head to Tattletale- the Undersider lacked the slightly enhanced toughness that Taylor possessed, and her body was wracked with slight shivers as she clung closely to Taylor. Taylor quickly glanced over her, checking that there were no obvious injuries, and then carefully put a hand to Tattletale's face, gently turning her head to face her. The Undersider blinked once she looked at Taylor, and her mouth moved, her voice faint but just about recognisable.

"I…I'm alright."

Taylor nodded slowly.

"Are you sure?"

Tattletale nodded, but when Taylor tried to put her on her feet her legs gave way. Tattletale looked faintly surprised, but Taylor noted that she was shaking still- that was the reason she couldn't stand. She sighed, but lifted the villain again, carrying her bridal style- with a little psyker strength enhancement, of course. Tattletale wasn't that much smaller than she was, and Taylor wasn't natively that strong.

"A conventional bomb. We got lucky." Tattletale observed, as Taylor stepped out of the relatively untouched patch of ground beneath their shielded cocoon and onto ash-seared concrete.

"I'd rather be lucky than good." Taylor quietly replied, scanning the area and noting where the other bombs had gone. One of the ones she had sent skywards had not gone far enough, and the roof of a warehouse was now glimmering glass. Looking to the sea, Taylor saw a circular patch of ice, melting but clearly there, and shivered. She briefly looked around, and then carefully laid Tattletale down on the ground.

"Sorry. Most comfortable place I could find."

Tattletale shrugged.

"I'll be alright soon. Can you see Bakuda?"

Taylor shook her head, noticing that a slight pain was starting there. A minor headache for now, but any more use of her powers would quickly cause it to build, especially without the comforting buffer of her staff.

"I'm going to look for her now." She said quietly, turning to where she felt Bakuda, the Tinker lying in agony. Taylor carefully walked towards her, placing her feet gently in case the ground had become unstable.

Bakuda was a grisly sight.

The Tinker was lying on one side, one hand weakly clawing at the ground as she tried to crawl. Her formerly white and pink uniform was scorched, seared away in some places, and her exposed flesh was cracked, at least reddened and at worst black and crimson, awfully burned. Her right arm hung limp, and Taylor could see white bone in several places where the flame had charred away the flesh. Her right leg was less ruined, but still burned. Her left side was better off, but not by much, and sobs and rasping gasps came from the barely intact gas mask.

 **"** **IT WOULD BE A MERCY TO KILL HER."** The Emperor intoned. Taylor grimaced, an unwelcome feeling of pity worming its way into her stomach.

 _'_ _Maybe.'_ She replied, strangely unwilling to finish the woman off. In the end, she shook her head.

 _'_ _You're right. It would be a mercy, and remove her from here. Take away her pain and one of our threats.'_

Taylor considered how best to do it, and then sighed. Affecting people was harder than objects, but she was almost within touching distance and Bakuda was in no shape to fight. A simple psychic squeeze of the heart, and Bakuda would appear to have died of heart failure. Not too surprising in this case, and Taylor couldn't see the Snitch anywhere. No witnesses. She stepped closer, steeling herself, and then a shout came from the storage lockers. She didn't recognise the language, but the volley of bullets that followed it were quite eloquent.

 _'_ _Fuck!'_ Taylor mentally bawled, throwing up both hands to bring her shield into place. Normally she would have no problem, but with the loss of her staff it was harder and with the heavy recent use of her powers a headache was starting to build.

 _'_ _Could really use my staff right now.'_ She noted, wincing as bullets thudded into her barrier and she backed away. The Emperor didn't immediately reply, but she sensed him casting about for something while she focused.

 **"** **YOU HAVE NOT LOST IT. IT MUST HAVE BEEN THROWN AWAY BY THE EXPLOSION, CAN YOU NOT FEEL IT?"**

Taylor gritted her teeth, pushing her shield outwards so it would hold for a moment without her and diving behind a piece of fallen warehouse. Her headache spiked abominably, but she managed to push through the pain to locate a niggling sensation in the back of her mind, a short way behind her.

 **"** **YOU HAVE MADE HEAVY USE OF THIS STAFF IN THE SHORT TIME YOU HAVE HELD IT. IT WOULD APPEAR IT HAS BECOME SOMEWHAT ATTUNED TO YOUR POWER, ENOUGH THAT YOU CAN LOCATE IT."**

Taylor stretched out a hand, trusting and pulling with her power and her staff, blackened and smelling of charred wood but still intact, thumped into her hand. Her headache eased a fraction, and she could have wept with relief.

 _'_ _I almost thought that losing a staff was going to become some kind of running gag.'_ She remarked, smiling even as bullets continued to thump around her. She located Tattletale, also in cover but being ignored, and closed her eyes in frustration for a moment.

 _'_ _We can't get to Bakuda now.'_

 **"** **NO, UBER AND LEET ARE APPROACHING. EVEN SUCH HALF COMPETENT FOES WILL BE TOO MUCH FOR YOU IN YOUR CURRENT STATE."**

 _'_ _I know. I know, damn! But I can't just run, I'll need a distraction. Good luck that that warehouse is pretty compromised by the glass bomb, isn't it?'_

Taylor extended her power to the unsteady warehouse and wrenched. The heavily damage structure wobbled, creaking and groaning before there was the splintering crack of breaking glass and the whole wall began to fall. Cries of alarm overtook the bullets as shooters were distracted, and Taylor made a sprint for Tattletale. Sliding down next to the purple clad villain, Taylor checked the area was clear, careful not to raise her head.

"Can you walk yet?" she asked. Blunt, but they really didn't have time to dance around the topic. Tattletale gave a hasty nod.

"Just about, but not very well." She said. Taylor bit her lip, then bent towards her.

"Hold my staff." She ordered, thrusting the weapon towards Tattletale before scooping the villain into her arms and beginning to move, as fast as she could while still staying low. Tattletale let out a quiet laugh.

"It's a good thing you aren't a guy. That last phrase could really be misconstrued."

Taylor let out a soft noise of amusement.

"Dream all you like, Tattletale. Makes no difference to me." Taylor responded easily. They were not being pursued, but she still took the time to bring her weakening powers to bear and take them to the rooftops. It was much safer there, and she was able to pause again, setting Tattletale down once more and sliding into a sitting position against a vent.

"Hmm." Tattletale murmured. "You do realise that you've been caught on live stream, carrying me around? The shippers on PHO will be frothing at the mouth with excitement."

Taylor leaned her head against the cold metal, closing her eyes and waiting for her headache to abate somewhat.

"They can join it to the bunch that are shipping me with Glory."

"You don't seem too bothered by it."

Taylor managed a quiet chuckle.

"Have you seen Glory in that costume? I'm not complaining."

Tattletale gazed at her in silence for a few moments, then let out a rueful laugh.

"I honestly can't tell if you're joking or not." She admitted. Taylor shrugged one shoulder.

"There'd be no fun in it if you could." She said. Slowly she opened her eyes, smiling as her headache receded to a tolerable level. She stood, careful not to move too fast, and held out a hand to Tattletale.

"Come on. We'll get further away before I leave and see what's happening at the PRT HQ."

Tattletale nodded, taking the offered hand and hauling herself up.

"You think we should split up?" she asked. Taylor nodded.

"I think we should if we can. I don't really like leaving you without protection, but I don't trust the PRT enough to turn up with a known villain in tow. Piggot's a vinegar faced bitch who despises Parahumans, and I wouldn't put it past her to try and arrest us both."

"You really don't like her, huh?"

"Honestly, no. She was hurt by one Parahuman one time, so she despises all of us. She's basically a racist, and the PRT was stupid to put her in command. She isn't even so competent that she makes up for it." Taylor replied, helping Tattletale down from the building. The ABB had left, taking Bakuda with them, so they were safe enough.

"I've got a safehouse I can go to, but-"

Taylor nodded to Tattletale.

"I'll stay with you until we're away from the Docks and out of danger enough. Seeing as it's all gone quiet at the PRT HQ, I daresay I don't need to be too quick."

"Thank you."

* * *

Taylor left Tattletale once they got away from the Docks and into a safer part of the city, trusting that the Undersider could keep herself safe at least for a short time. That done, Taylor began moving towards the PRT HQ as quickly as possible, grimacing.

 _'_ _I feel like I've strained my brain. Bloody hurts.'_

 **"** **YES. YOU HAVE USED YOUR POWER A GREAT DEAL TODAY, HOWEVER, AND YOU ARE NOT YET SO POWERFUL AS TO WIELD IT WITH IMPUNITY. THERE IS SOMETHING STRANGE ABOUT IT, HOWEVER…I WOULD NEED TO EXAMINE YOUR BRAIN TO SEE THE ISSUE, UNFORTUNATELY."**

 _'_ _Maybe we can get Panacea to take a look. I know we're more or less immortal at this point, but I don't fancy having a stroke mid battle.'_

 **"** **A STRONG POINT."**

Taylor drifted across one final building, letting herself fall smoothly to the ground and approaching the PRT HQ on foot, being careful not to alarm anyone. The building was clearly damaged: the facing was scorched, and part of the entryway appeared to have collapsed. PRT troopers and Heroes milled around, a line of armoured Troopers holding back a crowd of journalists and civilians. They let her through without protest, and Taylor felt a cold tingle slowly drift up her spine. Something wasn't right.

The Wards were clustered together in a tight group, looking concerned, and Taylor hurried across to them.

"Vista? What happened- where's Glory and Gallant?" she asked. The youngest Ward turned to her, face pale beneath her visor.

"The ABB attacked us, blew a hole in the building and freed Oni Lee." She said, her voice bearing a weariness that belied her years. She looked up at Taylor.

"Gallant was badly hurt by Lee as he escaped. Lung…lung got away as well, but not alone."

The cold tingle turned to an icy wash, countered by a slowly stirring fury in the pit of her stomach.

"Circaetus…Lung got away with a hostage. He managed to take Glory Girl."

* * *

 **And yet another chapter. This one went on for longer than I expected: my apologies for it being mostly action, but that was the way it turned out. I'll try to get the next out fairly quickly, but I can't make any promises.**

 **Regarding chapters, however, I'd like to know how many of you would like a PHO Interlude. I'm not certain of my ability to write one, but if enough people would be interested I would certainly try.**

 **On another note: Taylor being able to kill people with her mind. She can, but it would be something akin to an Eldar Farseer Mind War, involving a battle of wills. While Taylor and The Emperor could doubtless win, being stood around fighting a mental battle might not be the best option in a lot of situations. Once she gets stronger, of course, she can brute force it. At that point it becomes a lot more effective.**

 **As always, reviews are appreciated and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter.**


	7. Chapter 6

**And lo, Chapter 6. Taken a little longer than I wanted, but here it is and almost double normal size. Enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: As always.**

* * *

Taylor stood in utter silence as she heard the rest of the story, waiting with uncommon patience for Vista to tell it all. As she heard it, Glory Girl had been injured by Lung fairly early on, but Dauntless had managed to drag her away. Near the end of the fight, Lung had moved to attack Gallant, and Glory had intercepted. Somehow Lung had done enough damage to knock her out, and one of his goons had thrown a grenade that apparently produced a small black hole at the PRT building. While everybody was distracted Lung had escaped, but Glory Girl had been missing. They were assuming she had been kidnapped. The alternative, that she had been caught in the grenade radius, was something no-one wanted to contemplate.

Taylor listened, and then nodded.

"Alright. No doubt Lung will make some kind of contact with us once he gets back to human, especially since Bakuda will need some medical attention after what she managed to do to herself." She said quietly, her voice not wavering from a steady monotone. Vista looked up at her.

"What happened?"

"Bakuda attacked the Undersiders, kidnapped Grue, Regent and Hellhound. I got involved because I was nearby, saved Tattletale. Bakuda learned that throwing grenades at a telekinetic is a bad idea. Exciting night."

Vista nodded slowly, and Taylor briefly touched her shoulder.

"It'll be ok, Vista." She said, managing to inject some tiny amount of optimism into her tone, dead to disguise the howling tempest of rage within. She sighed.

"Well, there's no point in waiting around here. I might as well go home, can't fight Lung on no sleep."

Just as she turned, she heard a noise of disbelief from Browbeat.

"You're leaving? Just like that- don't you care?"

Taylor clenched her free fist, so tightly that if she hadn't been wearing gloves her fingernails would have left bloody gouges in her palm. Her voice came out low and level, though it was hard to force it past the sudden rage that was thick in her throat.

"Don't care? Of course I care, Browbeat. Do not presume I don't. But I have _no patience for fools_ right now, and you Director would most assuredly test that."

Taylor turned, her eyes locking onto Browbeat, and the rookie Ward cowered before her furious gaze.

"Rest assured, Browbeat, that I care more than most here, and I shall be one of the first to offer my aid to finding Glory Girl. But I cannot do that without rest, especially when we have no idea where she is."

Her voice did not raise, but instead became more deadly, and she stepped closer to Browbeat. The fear was positively pouring off him, and it somehow fuelled her rage until Vista stepped between them.

"Browbeat, keep your mouth shut. Circ, calm down. You're frightening the rookies."

Vista herself was not free of fear: it edged her voice and her mind, but it was barely present, and her courage brought Taylor to her senses. She halted, her hand unclenching and the unconscious gathering of her power dissipating.

"Of course. My apologies, it has been a stressful night for us all. As I said, I must go…I will speak to you again another time, Vista."

The youngest Ward nodded to her, and Taylor turned and mechanically walked away, her rage briefly banked, but still smouldering.

Taylor returned home swiftly. She made her way into her house, sneaking in through the window. Her father was in the house, but deeply asleep. She applied a slight deepening of his sleep, enough to keep him unaware, and quickly changed her clothes and made her way to the bathroom. One swift shower later, and she had managed to compress her fury into a tight ball that wasn't threatening to consume her and send her into a vicious frenzy. She still couldn't sleep, but it didn't take her long to consider an option for that.

 **"SLEEPING PILLS, REALLY?"**

 _'I need to sleep for at least a few hours. It won't hurt, and who will never know?'_

 **"WE WOULD."**

Taylor murmured sourly, but she didn't get up from where she slumped on her bed. She was tired anyway, and maybe drugging herself might not be the best option. She leaned against her headboard and closed her eyes, channelling her power in a gentle stream that didn't aggravate her headache and accelerated her healing, soothing her aches and pains. With this, despite her churning mind and still present anger, she was able to fall asleep quickly, troubled though her slumber was.

She was awoken by the quiet ringing of a cellphone. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes hastily, and answered the phone.

"Yes?"

Her father was still asleep, but Taylor re-applied the gentle psychic touches to keep him asleep and unaware. Better that he knew nothing.

"Circaetus? It's Tattletale. You have to check Uber and Leet's stream, now."

Taylor stood, still blinking but alarmed by the tone of Tattletales voice. She fired up her old computer, mentally cursing the slowness of the computer and the Internet connection, and glanced at the clock. Six in the morning. At least she had managed almost five hours sleep. She waited with rapidly decreasing patience until the computer loaded, and the stream was ready. It had already ended, but It could be replayed. She hit the button, and scowled as Lung came into view: how had he gotten hold of Uber and Leets camera? Were they so stupid that they had taken Bakuda to her base?

 **"OR SO UNFORTUNATE AS TO BE FORCED TO DO SO."**

Lung was, as always, bare chested, and his metal mask was in place. He began to speak, his accent thick and his tone filled with condescensiom.

"Brockton Bay. I know you are hearing this. I have captured the famous Hero, Glory Girl."

The camera panned slightly, showing Glory Girl, tied up and unconscious. Taylor gritted her teeth.

"She is unharmed. More than I can say for my Lieutenant Bakuda, yes? Indeed. Fortunately, I am not a cruel man. I shall allow Glory Girl to leave unharmed, so long as the healer Panacea agrees to aid Bakuda, within three days. Three days, Panacea. And after that? Well, a heroine does not need ten fingers."

Lung turned his head, as though glancing at something, and then leaned closer to the camera, his voice lowering and roughening.

"And this last message, this is for the vigilante Circaetus. Circaetus, can you hear me? I offer congratulations. You have made an enemy of all the gangs of Brockton Bay. We shall meet, Circaetus, and you shall not survive. I, Lung, decree this. Flee or fight, Circaetus, your doom is decided."

Taylor waited as the stream ceased, and began to loop. She carefully closed down the Internet window and shut off the computer before letting out a long sigh and picking up her cellphone again.

"Tattletale."

"You've seen the video, then. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to see how well Lung can back up his words, of course. Do you know where he's keeping Bakuda and Glory?"

"It's the same place as he's keeping Grue and the others, but I don't know where exactly."

A pause, and then Tattletale continued.

"I do know where a smaller safehouse is, though."

"Give me it." Taylor said quietly. Tattletale told her, and Taylor nodded.

"I'll go there and ring you once I'm done. We can plan more then."

"Circaetus…are you sure?"

Taylor sighed, but her course was clear and her mind set.

"Positive."

Taylor did not leave the house for most of the day. Much as she burned to leave immediately, to begin hunting Lung and Bakuda and the ABB, she was weary and wounded from the encounters last night and needed time to recuperate. As such, she remained in her room for much of the day, sat in a position that was almost meditative and focusing her energies upon healing. A relatively common technique among those Psykers that could achieve it, it was of little effectiveness upon others, and even limited when used on oneself. In conjunction with her own enhanced Perpetual healing, however, it would return her to peak condition before she left. Then she would be battle ready. Something that would be needed, she knew. All day long explosions crossed the air, and Taylor mentally counted the buildings that were reported bombed. All more reasons for Bakuda fall.

Her clock went off with a quiet alarm at nine o'clock, and Taylor opened her eyes. She had only left her room to eat all day. It was time to leave again, but for something far more productive. Before that, however, she needed to prepare.

Taylor stood in front of her mirror, dressing with mechanical precision. She could not afford anything to be wrong. Not now, when she had something to do. The trousers, shirt and black pullover first, covering her body and providing some form of protection. The boots next. And then the mask. It had taken her some time, but Taylor had managed to sew the balaclava portion of her mask into her hood, cutting it free so that she could lose her coat without losing her hood: she shrugged her coat on first. Her hair, pulled back into a tight ponytail, was tucked under the collar before she hunched her head a little, sliding the mask on. It covered the upper portion of her face, with eyeholes, and ran down her cheeks, a section fitting snugly under her chin to hold it all. Her exposed mouth was covered by her scarf, carefully wound into position, and she pulled her gloves on last. A hand extended, and her charred staff, still smelling faintly of burned wood, was pulled easily into her hand. The picture was complete, the image of Circaetus fully prepared. The only question that remained was the greatest one: would it be enough?

Taylor had no illusions. It would be enough, or she would make it so. _Doubt is for the dying_.

She looked at her hand for a moment, flexing the glove.

 _'Gauntlets, I think. And maybe a lightning claw. Something for the future, though. At the moment…'_

Tatters of pink-purple flames briefly flickered around her fingers, and Taylor smiled without humour.

 _'Let's see how resilient Lung really is.'_

Taylor moved towards the ABB hideout with steady purpose. Her plan was simple: she would find someone there. She would destroy the ABB until one of them revealed to her the location of Bakuda, and then she would rescue Glory Girl. Simple. Possibly not easy, but simple.

"Circaetus!"

Taylor stopped dead in the middle of the street, aggravation blossoming in her as the shouter descended to street level- or almost street level. Rune. The Empire Cape was floating on a chunk of tarmac rubble, and two dumpsters orbited her in lazy spirals. Victor was just behind her, and given that Taylor could sense Othella nearby he was presumably invincible-ed. She didn't have time for this.

"Circaetus. Going to rescue Glory Girl?" Rune asked, an edge of malice tainting her cheerful tone. Taylor turned her eyes to the Empire Cape.

"I intended to, Rune, but you seem to be in my way." She said, mustering a modicum of patience and civility. Rune looked amused beneath her hood.

"Yes. I'm aware that you intend to hunt down the sub-human Lung. It's almost poetic, the brave hero going to rescue the fair damsel from the Asian beast."

Taylor narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on her staff, and her voice gained a harsh edge.

"Don't bring your pathetic ideology into this, Rune. It was stupid the first time it was espoused and it's even more stupid now."

"Stupid? Foolish? Easy to say that when you hide beneath the PRT. When you ignore that the rampaging beast is Asian, that the insane bomber planting explosives in heads is Asian, that the PRT was attacked and a hero kidnapped to rescue a mass murdering Asian! What are they but beasts, savages, inhuman primitives enslaved to their baser nature?"

Taylor gave a snort of disdain.

"That's a pretty speech, Rune. Did Kaiser write it? I wouldn't be surprised, he doesn't seem to have any skills other than talking. You call them beasts and savages? What then is Hookwolf? What are Night, and Fog? You disgust me. You draw from a weakling regime that did nothing but draw its own destruction upon itself, a regime that barely lasted ten years before falling to its own weakness, and you trumpet your greatness as though you have any success. Let me tell you, Rune: _you are nothing._ Supported only because the other choice is the Merchants, always afraid, ranks filled with weaklings clinging to an ideology that brought no triumph, no victory to cover up their own inadequacies."

Taylor stopped, just long enough to let out an ugly laugh.

"You claim to be so superior, but your spurious claims are nothing when you have no power to reinforce them. If you are so great, then tell me: why are the leaders of two of the great three gangs non-white?"

Rune levitated a fraction further, her composure starting to break, and Taylor itched to unleash her full fury upon the arrogant girl. Rune was _nothing,_ her powers paling before the might that Taylor could bring to bear, and she would learn it.

"You talk a great deal, Circaetus, but we do not have to be foes." Victor interrupted smoothly. Taylor shifted her gaze to him, calculating, but saying nothing. He seemed to take this as his cue and stepped forward.

"Kaiser has observed you, and found your skill to be adequate, if lessened by inexperience. He would offer a great position in his ranks to you…wealth, power, whatever you may wish, even to the forgiveness of your crimes against the true Empire. He notes that you already wear the eagle…perhaps you are not so far from us as you believe…"

Taylor raised her hand, cutting Victor off.

" _Do not_ consider my _Acquila_ a symbol of your beliefs, Victor. And even if it was, why would I ever serve one such as Kaiser? He hides behind numbers, as though it makes him great. He hides behind honeyed words, as though they make him strong. I would never serve him. Not even if he was the only option left. Even then, I have my pride…I will not bow to some petty racist with some delusions of grandeur."

Victor looked hard at her, but bowed his head and stepped back.

"So be it." He murmured, and Taylor saw him tense for battle. She looked at Rune, still levitating and clearly angry.

"Rune. Victor. I shall allow you one chance: Leave now. Cease to bar my way, and I shall allow you to leave. Do not squander my mercy lightly."

Rune sneered.

"You think you're so strong, Circaetus? If that stupid chink Lee nearly killed you, I'll shove your boasts down your throat! We'll see who's the strongest telekinetic!"

Taylor shrugged coldly.

"Yes. We will." She said icily, before reaching out and wrenching control of Runes weapons from her.

The dumpsters hit Victor with brutal force. Invulnerable as he might be, the laws of physics could not be denied and he was carried aloft, crashing into a warehouse and being buried by the wall and dumpsters. Rune fell as the asphalt block under her tilted suddenly, and Taylor ran towards her as the block added to the pile over Victor. Rune tried to stand, on her hands and knees, and Taylor kicked her. Well, not kicked: it was less a kick and more a standing stomp. Taylor's bootheel hit Rune in the collarbone, and a sickening snap was closely followed by a scream. Taylor let her staff drift behind her as she grabbed Rune by her injured arm and dragged her upright. The screams intensified, and Taylor threw her away, turning and holding out a hand to Othella as she broke cover. The Empire Healer halted, falling to her knees in desperate supplication as her airway closed, and Taylor did the same to Rune. The piercing screams abruptly turned to horrified, desperate choking.

"You see?" Taylor asked, almost mildly.

"You see how terribly outmatched you are? How foolish you were to challenge me? I could kill you all, here and now, and it would be easy."

Taylor considered for a moment, wondering if she should simply remove them from the city forever, but then reconsidered. There was no kill order for them, it would simply make her a murderer. She released Othella first, dragging her closer with a gesture and planting her hand over the Empire cape's face. A brief psionic jolt, and the healer was down. Rune was next, and Taylor let her go. Telekinetic tendrils hooked onto her arms and dragged her, eliciting fresh screams.

"Rune. Rune, Rune, Rune. Have you learned your lesson yet?" Taylor asked, holding the smaller girl up with ease. Rune bit down a scream, panting and rasping with the effort, and Taylor sighed.

"All that defiance, so utterly wasted. Consider yourself exceedingly fortunate: my business tonight is with the ABB, not the Empire. But I shall return to you soon enough, Rune. If you are sensible, you may want to flee town."

Taylor briefly locked eyes with the terrified and agonised villain.

"Just a thought." She murmured before she knocked Rune out and let her slide to the ground. She left the three Empire capes there, detritus fallen in her wake. She did not look back.

The ABB safehouse was, as Taylor might have expected from the Docks, a warehouse. It appeared to be in relatively good condition, and Taylor could approve- it made it much more non-descript. Whether or not it retained that condition after she had finished was unknown. She thought it unlikely. It probably depended on how much of a fight the ABB put up. She walked to a side door, rather than the much larger main doors, and knocked politely. She took a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh as someone's mind approached, curious and a little wary. A deadbolt slid back.

"What do you-Circaetus!"

Taylor blew the door off it's hinges with a psychic blast and strode in, barely adding enough trajectory to the door that it swatted the ABB member aside rather than crushing him. There was utter silence for a long moment as she surveyed the inside of the warehouse.

"What I am here for is information. I will not harm any more of you, so long as you tell me where Bakuda and Lung are. Tell me, and I will allow you to leave unharmed."

Her response was a shout of defiance, and the dozen gang-members inside grabbed gun or some form of hand weapon. Bullets rained towards her, but Taylor simply deflected them.

"So be it. I offered the hand of mercy, but you have elected the way of pain!"

Taylor swung her staff in a sweeping motion, and every gun, bat or knife was torn from the hands of it's owner. As the cries of shock reached her she extended her other hand, and lightning ripped from each fingertip, each purple-tinged bolt striking an ABB member and bringing them down in writhing pain. The last one, as yet unharmed and closest to her, let out a scream of challenge and ran towards her with a knife he hastily pulled from his waistband. Taylor turned to him, and his charge faltered before her gaze. Her staff struck his wrist hard, and she shoved him against a wall with a simple blast of power, holding him in position. With the other ABB out of the fight, she walked towards him, the pressure increasing with every step, forcing him against the wall, spread-eagled and helpless.

"I want you to remember that I gave you a choice." Taylor said mildly, increasing the pressure the man was experiencing, but only on his head.

"Now. I want to know where Lung and Bakuda are. Or I suppose either one will do. Otherwise…well, we'll see which gives first. The wall or your skull. I don't much care, but I wouldn't give you the best odds."

The man screamed and struggled, but Taylor held him still and this part of the Docks was almost entirely empty, especially at night. He screamed only once, briefly, and then began babbling in his native tongue. Taylor didn't speak it, but The Emperor did, and he was able to translate most of it.

"Praying? It won't help. Even if they existed, they could not offer you salvation. Not now. Not ever."

Some part of Taylor stirred uneasily at what she was doing. It was wrong, she supposed, some abandonment of her morals inherent in her actions, but it was needed. She could not afford the luxury of mercy and kindness. Not now, with more than her life on the line.

Another mind popped into existence, and Taylor turned on her heel, dropping the man and bringing her staff up. It met the blade of a knife that was coming towards her.

Oni Lee dissolved into ash an instant after she blocked, appearing on the other side of the room and underhanding a grenade towards her. Taylor knocked it aside with a wave of her hand. Conventional explosive.

Lee appeared on her right and tried to ram his knife into her neck. Taylor ducked and snapped a boot towards his ankle but he dissolved into ash again and he was on her other side and Taylor threw out her hand, a whip of lightning flicking from her fingers towards his skull but it was another clone. Lee appeared opposite her, his mask staring directly towards her. There was no emotion behind that fanged, leering mask, barely any soul, and Taylor repressed a shudder. It was…unnatural.

She met his gaze, slowly trailing her lightning whip along the ground before drawing it up, wrapping it around her hand and forearm, encasing her fist in a gauntlet of purple-white lightning. She let her staff go, keeping it levitating next to her with a faint application of power: the weapon was practically part of her now, it wasn't at all difficult.

"You made a mistake coming here, Lee. You're all alone. Besides, I would have though Bakuda would have told you: don't bring grenades against a telekinetic."

Lee reached for his grenades.

Taylor jerked her hand up, fingers curling, and every pin popped out of every explosive.

Lee reacted with lightning quickness, she'd give him that: the knife in his hand sliced through the bandoleer strap and he hurled the belt at her. She thrust her hand out again, sending the belt hurtling towards the roof. The explosion was a kaleidoscope of fire and ice and endless, ageless voids that consumed each other, leaving nothing behind but a gaping hole in the warehouse roof. Lee returned his gaze to her, slowly drawing a second knife with his free hand. Taylor pulled her staff back into her hand, and nodded to him.

"No Hookwolf. No bombs. Just you, me and a good old-fashioned beatdown. I'm going to enjoy this."

And Lee teleported.

Taylor ducked his first knife swipe, turning the motion into a roll that carried her away. She rose and turned at the same time, her left hand swiping in a motion that trailed lightning, but it only cut through ash and she was barely able to bring her staff up to block as Lee brought both knives down, now holding them point down in his hands. He tried to leverage the position to drag her staff away, but she stepped towards him and struck with her lighting hand. He teleported again.

Taylor gritted her teeth and struck her staff hard on the floor, letting loose a circular wave of force that shoved Lee hard back before she dragged every available bit of detritus towards herself, tearing apart the furniture in the room and bringing it into a spinning cyclone that would shield her briefly. She stood, locating Lee but then there were two of him and they came through the shield, one bursting into ash and she guessed correctly and her thrust staff hit him in the ribs and she threw him into a wall. He burst into ash on contact but he was behind her again and a chair-leg hit his arm and knocked him off balance and even though he staggered back her swipe with her lightning coated hand left a long scorch mark on the chest of his bodysuit. He teleported away, once again looking at her in silence. Taylor met his gaze, as best they could stare each other down through the still swirling fragments of door and chairs and tables. This was harder than she expected. At least she didn't have to move much: the ABB goons were still flat out on the floor and she couldn't imagine Lee taking any pains to keep them alive.

"I'm going to give you the same chance I gave these idiots, Lee. Tell me where Lung and Bakuda are, and I'll let you go."

Lee stared at her and said nothing, as always. Taylor nodded to herself.

"Yeah, I kinda expected that. Guess I'll just have to beat it out of you."

Without any gesturing, the storm of shrapnel hurled itself at Lee. Taylor already knew that he would have teleported, and simply rammed her staff into the ground, releasing a telekinetic wave, carefully calculated to not be enough to throw Lee back. He leapt through the stirred up dust, knife lunging at her, and Taylor twisted her body, having tracked him. The knife skated along her side and Taylor threw in a headbutt. Lee staggered back, and Taylor lunged forward, her lightning-encased fist ramming through his breast and body, but it was too easy and he disintegrated into a cloud of ash and she scowled.

"All these Naruto-style clone tricks are getting mighty boring, Lee. I'd expected something better." She said, sourly considering. If she could just kill him, a single heavy blow would do it and even if affecting his internal organs was too hard without physical contact she could blind him or something. But she needed him alive, and she needed to be able to make proper eye contact to ransack his mind for Lung's location. Reducing his eyeballs to smashed pulp wouldn't help with that. Then again, she didn't really need to make eye contact. She just needed to be close. Besides, illusions were a lot easier than internal injuries, and were less incriminating. She just needed him close.

Lee teleported. The blade caught her this time, drawing a long cut down her left forearm as she tried to block, but she let go of her lightning and it expanded into a brief sphere that drove Lee back before he could use his second knife. Taylor seized her chance, and drove a psychic attack into Lee's mind. Really she was affecting the nerves running from his eyes. In actuality, it was like detonating a flashbang at point blank range. Lee hit the wall, one arm coming up to his face and the other cutting blindly.

 **"HE CAN'T TELEPORT WITHOUT SIGHT!"** The Emperor said, his tone one of remembered realisation, and Taylor remembered what he meant: Oni Lee required his sight to teleport. She had her chance now. She twisted her arm and pulled, and a brick exploded from the wall and smashed Lee in the leg. There was a crack, and Taylor lunged across the room, a long wooden splinter from a broken chair settling in her hand. She angled herself to avoid the knife Lee waved, and drove the splinter into his shoulder, pinning Lee to the wall with the stake-like shard. Lee dropped one knife. Taylor snapped his other arm with her staff, a single blow channelling energy through the bone until it couldn't hold. Taylor took a long breath, grabbing Lee's chin. His eyes opened again just as she forced him to look at her, meeting his blank eyes and driving into his mind.

Oni Lee was not a strong man. Physically, maybe, and his power was impressive enough, but there was nothing behind it. No emotion. No personality. No soul. No resistance to her at all. Most people, they had some kind of innate defence that had to be broken. Lee had nothing. His mind was an open book waiting to be read, and Taylor was able to pull the location of Bakuda and Lung from him without effort. The mental attack knocked him unconscious, and she stared at his slumped form, thinking.

 _'I should kill him.'_

 **"SHOULD YOU?"**

 _'Would anybody miss him? He's a killer without a soul, without a personality. He barely has a mind. He isn't any use to anyone except Lung.'_

 **"HMM. YES. NOBODY EXCEPT LUNG. WHO YOU ARE HUNTING."**

 _'You think that we should keep him. In case we need bait.'_

Taylor thought about it. It wasn't a bad suggestion, really: Lung had shown that he would be willing to attack the PRT to rescue Lee. It would make a good trap. Besides that, Lee had beaten her before. Taylor was loath to let Lee leave life while still one for one against her. She shrugged and reached for her phone.

"PRT, how may we help you?"

The tone was bored and lazy. Taylor decided that she might as well wake them up.

"You can help me by listening. This is Circaetus. I've managed to take down Oni Lee- I'd send some people before he wakes up."

The quick intake of breath on the other side of the phone indicated that the PRT operator was now listening, and listening well. Taylor gave the address calmly and curtly, and the operator hastily spoke before she could put the phone down.

"Ah, Circaetus, could you wait for one minute? One of the Protectorate wants to talk to you."

Taylor glanced around herself.

"I can wait, but not for long." She said. The operator quickly thanked her, and Taylor leaned against a wall, waiting.

"Circaetus? This is Dauntless- we met some time ago."

"Yes, I do remember. What do you want, Dauntless?"

A brief, humourless chuckle answered her.

"I want Lung in a jail cell, and Bakuda along with him. But I might not get that. You've found out where he is, haven't you?"

"No." Taylor replied, smooth and immediate. Dauntless snorted.

"Yeah, I believe you. You want to get in alone, I get that. Just do me a favour? Once you're in, send us a call. I owe Lung for that little debacle. Oh, and by the by…Bakuda's bombs have been found at a couple of police stations. It's been confirmed, she's got a kill order on her. So if you need to get a little rough, none of us will hold it against you."

Taylor let out a non-committal hum.

"And Lung?"

"No kill on him, unfortunately. Try to avoid him if you can. And think about making that call. If you manage to found out where the ABB headquarters is, of course."

"I'll think about it. Thanks, Dauntless."

"My pleasure, Circaetus."

Dauntless, Taylor decided, was a good man.

Tattetale's mind felt nervous. Taylor could understand why: they were about to mount a rescue mission, into the base of one of the largest gangs in Brockton Bay, and Tattletale had no combat powers.

"You don't have to come along, you know. I can do this alone." Taylor said. Tattletale looked at her, a quick twitch that betrayed the nervousness she was hiding behind an insouciant façade.

"What? No. I'd never hear the end of it if I left you to rescue the others alone. Just…just try to stay under the radar, yeah? I'd like to avoid explosives and bullets."

Taylor shrugged.

"I'll do my best. Staying behind me is probably a good idea, though."

"Stay behind you. Uh huh, sure. Got it."

Taylor smiled behind her mask before turning.

"The ABB safehouse is just over there. See the apartment building? It's joined to the warehouse next to it- illegally of course, but that hardly matters. It's Bakuda's lair according to my information: Lung doesn't live there, he doesn't trust her enough. He might turn up though."

"Oh. Might. Good. Do we know if Glory Girl, Grue and the others are in there?"

Taylor shook her head.

"Don't know. There's a good chance that they are, since Lung would want Bakuda to operate on the other Undersiders, but there's no guarantee. Bakuda will know where they are, though, and she'll be in there."

"You think we can make her talk?" Tattletale asked. Taylor shrugged, feeling an odd apathy.

"Everybody talks. Only question is how long it'll take."

Tattletale swallowed.

"Right. Terrifying. Are we going to get this started, then?"

Taylor nodded.

"Can you see any cameras? I want to keep this sneaky for as long as possible." She said. She herself couldn't see any, but Tattletale's power might give her some insight Taylor lacked. Tattletale gazed for a few minutes, and Taylor spent the time carefully locating the minds inside the building. If she was stronger she might well have been able to knock them all unconscious from out here, but for the moment her range with that sort of thing was limited. It was why she preferred to make physical contact when transmitting psychic sparks. Easier. Less draining.

"I can't see any cameras." Tattletale reported quietly, and Taylor nodded.

"Alright. Let's go then."

The two of them crept across the street, heading for the door to the apartment building. They crouched in the shadow of the doorway, while Taylor pressed her hand to the door and worked the lock.

"You can do that?" Tattletale whispered. Taylor glanced at her.

"I can do a lot of things."

The lock clicked, and Taylor led the way inside. The door led into a concrete hallway, bland and miserable and barely lit by a flickering strip-light on the ceiling. A stairway stretched into dimness at the end of the corridor: there was no elevator.

"Stairs up or down?" Taylor asked Tattletale, whispering. Tattletale was tense: she had taken a pistol from somewhere and was holding it with both hands.

"Up, I guess. Unless you can find anyone?"

"Hmm…there isn't anyone downstairs, at least. Best guess, this is just some kind of quarters, we'll be more likely to find the prisoners in here. Warehouse is probably the workshop. We'll go up then- try not to shoot me by accident?"

"I'll try."

"Comforting." Taylor murmured, but she led the way regardless. She couldn't find anyone too close by: she had located the prisoners, and two guards outside what she presumed were their cells, but she had to hide at least some of her powers from Tattletale.

The building was eerily quiet as Taylor and Tattletale slowly climbed the staircase. Taylor was somewhat surprised that there were no guards, but she supposed that Bakuda was hardly a tactical genius. Besides, the ABB Tinker probably thought that her hideout would never be found. Everybody made mistakes.

"So, seven floors. This is all Bakuda's base, it'll be her stuff." Tattletale whispered as they paused on the first floor. Taylor nodded.

"There wasn't anybody in the basement, so there might be a prison floor?" she tried. Tattletale nodded.

"Seems likely. Don't know what the rest are for, but we can probably guess that the prison floor- assuming there is one- is near the middle. Harder to escape."

Taylor nodded, noting that Tattletale looked strained. Then again, her friends were prisoners of a mad bomber and her boss was probably pushing her. It was understandable.

"There's somebody on this level." Taylor murmured to Tattletale, slowly moving off the stairway and creeping across to the door that she could feel someone behind. Carefully placing her feet to minimise any noise, she reached out and mentally placed a feeling of ignorance upon the ABB member, a slightly stronger version of the ability she had first honed at her school. She pushed the door open with her left hand and rose to her feet, laying down her staff: she would need both hands if this was to be quick and quiet.

The ABB member was a short man, bent over a bench- the room looked like an armoury, Taylor guessed that he was doing maintenance. She slid into the room, and he coughed. Taylor stilled, waiting until he stopped coughing and straightened, pressing a hand against the back of his neck and closing his windpipe with a psychic stranglehold. The reaction was almost immediate- the man flailed, but her stranglehold extended to most of his torso and he could only twitch weakly. Taylor gestured with her free hand, and a wad of oily rag flew from the bench the man was leaning over into her hand. A brief motion forced the makeshift gag into his open mouth, and Taylor released the grip on his throat and lifted him with a gesture, wrapping coils of power around him and pressing him against the wall.

"Hello." Taylor said, quite gently. The man looked at her, wide eyed and frightened, his breath rasping through the gag as he breathed again.

"Obviously you can't talk right now, but I'd really like you to be able to. Really, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to hurt Bakuda. And I think you can help me with that, right?"

The man looked terrified, and Taylor felt his intention to scream before he did it. She made a pinching motion with the outstretched hand that was pinning the man to the wall, and his windpipe closed again. Taylor kept it so for a few seconds, then released him.

"Yes yes, all the tired defiance and desperation. Normally I would indulge you, but I really don't have time. So. Tell me, where is Bakuda? Where is Lung? And most importantly, where are the prisoners?"

The man was crying. Taylor could sense the silent shock and horror that Tattletale was hiding, and it annoyed her. She didn't have time to be nice. Not anymore.

"Incidentally, if you don't tell me I've no use for you. You haven't got long. So, are you going to tell me what I want to know?"

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Taylor was aware that her soft tone of voice probably made the scene more horrible. The greater part of her simply didn't care. The ABB member nodded frantically, still sobbing silently. Taylor felt her conscience twinge a little, but it was a muted cry that she easily ignored. This was for the greater good.

"Alright. We'll keep this to yes or no, ok? Nod or shake your head, nice and easy. First question- Is Bakuda here?"

She lightened her hold on the man, enough that he could move his head, and he nodded frantically.

"She is here, hmm? Is Lung here?"

Headshake. That was good, easier to take him down. Honestly though, she had seen most of the answers to her questions in his mind, this was a show put on for Tattletale. It was a good thing that the lie detector portion of Tattletale's power seemed thrown off a little by her psyker abilities.

"Do you know where he is?"

Headshake. Unsurprising.

"Are the prisoners all in one place?"

Nod.

"Guarded?"

Nod.

"More than one guard?"

Nod.

"Less than five?"

Nod.

"Where are they, exactly? This is the first floor, so second floor? Third? Fourth? Fifth?"

Taylor paused between each floor, giving the man time to nod or shake his head. The prisoners were on the fourth floor- that was only two away. She repeated the process with Bakuda, finding that the mad bomber was currently in the warehouse. Taylor nodded, walking closer.

"Thank you. You've made my job a lot easier, you know? In return, why don't you just…sleep?"

Taylor pressed gently fingers to the mans head, and a psychic spark left him unconscious. She turned to Tattletale.

"Fourth floor it is, then. Come on, we don't want to be here too long."

Tattletale followed silently.

The fourth floor smelled of blood and antiseptic. Taylor could smell it even before she had reached the top of the stairs, a smell that made her frown and wrinkle her nose. She supposed that she knew where Bakuda did her surgery, now. A tiny part of her coldly approved of keeping prisoners in such a situation- break their spirits by allowing them some glimpse of their fate. Taylor tried to ignore the thought.

There were three guards, sitting around a table and playing cards. Two of them had lighted cigarettes- Taylor wondered if it was to try to drown out the smell. Honestly, she didn't care. They were just enemies now, and she needed to take them out quietly. Same method as before: keep them ignorant of her presence, move closer. A hand on two shoulders, psychic spark, two men down. Close a windpipe, psychic spark, third down. Easy.

She looked over the table for a key and saw nothing.

"Tattletale? Any keys? They're keeping Glory contained somehow, so I don't want to just tear the doors off." She said. Tattletale nodded, focusing and then pointing.

"The big guy. I'll take a look at the doors, see if I can work out how they're still there." She said. Taylor nodded, leaning down and rifling through the gang members pockets until she located a key ring with three keys on it.

"Shit." Tattletale said quietly. Taylor looked across, quickly moving to the Undersider.

"What?"

"The doors have bombs on them. Fuck! Even with the key the bombs need to be disarmed before we can free anyone!"

Taylor felt her jaw tighten in anger, but managed to rein in her murderous inclination.

"Can you disarm them?" she asked. Tattletale was paler than usual, but she nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think so. So long as I can get a look at it- can you get the plating off the wall?"

Now that Tattletale had pointed it out, Taylor could see that the doorframes were surrounded by crudely fastened plates of metal. She stepped closer, carefully prying one from the wall and lifting it away. She turned her back, watching the stairs as Tattletale worked and scanning the rest of the floor. It was one giant room, the walls and apartments opposite the cells having been knocked down and stripped back to the concrete. The place was lit by the same miserable, weak strip lights as everywhere else, but there were two floodlights placed over a table- almost certainly Bakuda's surgery table.

 _'Because what this city was missing was a mad doctors lair.'_ She commented bitterly.

 **"YOU WILL HAVE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY TO SATE YOUR ANGER ON DESERVING TARGETS."**

 _'Doesn't mean I'm ok with all this.'_

Mental silence joined physical silence for several minutes, leaving Taylor to stare into the stairwell and keep a careful track of the people in the building. Two on the third floor, six in the warehouse.

"I've got it." Tattletale said suddenly, straightening. Taylor stood from her half crouch and hurried over, already taking out the key. She waited until Tattletale indicated the right one, and carefully pushed it into the door.

"You're sure we won't explode?" she asked. Tattletale gave a small, grim smile.

"Pretty sure. If we do get exploded, I'll be sure to send you a get well card." She said. Taylor gave a soft laugh, and turned the key. The lock clicked. The door swung open. The occupant came out swinging.

Taylor brought her hands together, catching the charging prisoner in a web of force that blunted the punch and let her block it with crossed arms. It still stung like hell and drove her back a step, and Taylor was glad that she had been gradually moving towards being physically superhuman since her powers awoke- that hit might well have fractured bones in a normal human. She'd still have a bruise.

"Glory!" she hissed, latching on to the arm and pulling the heroine closer to her. Glory Girl stopped struggling as Taylor latched onto her aura mentally, feeding it back to calm the heroine.

"Circ?" Glory Girl said, her blue eyes focusing.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Taylor shrugged.

"Oh, you know, rescuing damsels and stuff. General heroics. You look terrible, Glory."

Glory Girl did look terrible. Hair mussed, costume slightly torn, bruised and battered, her left arm was in a rough sling and she flinched as she moved it. She wore an expression of amazement.

"Is that Tattletale? The Undersider?"

"Enemy of my enemy, Glory. Look, point is we needed each other's help, but now you need to get out."

Glory Girl still seemed a little out of it, but then she shook her head and nodded.

"Right. Yeah. Bakuda. One of the Undersiders got taken to her lab, we should go and…woah."

Glory Girl stumbled and nearly fell, and Taylor was barely able to get a hold on her.

"Drugged." Tattletale said, barely glancing over from where she was working on another bomb-frame. Glory wobbled before rising a few inches off the floor.

"Oh. Flying is easier." She noted, a little muzzily, and Taylor swore mentally. She hadn't considered that Glory might be out of the picture mentally as well as physically.

"Glory. Glory, you listening?"

Glory Girl blinked and shook her head.

"I-yeah. Yeah, I'm with you. Still suffering whatever they were pumping into the room though. Probably a good thing, meant I didn't swing at you full strength."

"Yeah. Right. Look, Glory, you're in no shape to take on Bakuda. So here's what we're going to do. We're going to break out the Undersiders, and then you're going to fly out, take them nice and safe away. Drop them off, get yourself to your sister. Meanwhile, I'm going to punch Bakudas lights out and save whoever she's currently got hold of. Ok?"

Glory Girl stopped floating, meeting Taylor's eyes.

"Ok." She said, though reluctantly, and walked unsteadily over to the table and chairs, tipping one guard off and sitting down. Taylor turned back to Tattletale, who had managed to disarm the bomb and pull open the door. She was talking hastily to a tall black boy, who Taylor guessed must be Grue.

"Tattletale. News?" she said, walking across and pointedly not looking at Grue. Secret identities and all that.

"Grue and Regent are here, they aren't hurt that much, but Bitch has been taken to the warehouse. Bakuda decided that she's least useful and she's going to be Lungs demonstration of power, tonight!" Tattletale said, sounding worried. Taylor grimaced beneath her scarf.

"So Lung'll be coming here. Alright, here's what we'll do. Glory will take Grue and Regent, fly out and drop them off once she's gotten a bit away. Me and you will go after Bitch, take down Bakuda and escape."

"That's an awful plan. Where's the back-up plan?" Tattletale asked. Taylor held up her staff.

"This is the backup plan." She said dourly, before turning to Grue. He had taken a bandanna off an ABB goon, and was using it to cover his face.

"You hear the plan?"

"Yeah." He said quietly. He was limping, which was probably why he hadn't insisted on joining Taylor instead of Tattletale. Bakuda and her goons must have worked him over pretty good.

"Alright. Glory!"

Taylor called over to Glory Girl, while still staying as quiet as she could. The heroine walked across, very carefully, and nodded to her.

"You want me to drop them off once I'm far enough away?" she asked, looking at Grue and the thin Regent, who Grue was half-supporting.

"Yeah."

"Ok. Ok, I can do that. Should probably take them in, but hell, one good turn, right? Are we safe to head up to the roof so I can set off?"

Taylor shook her head at that

"Better to go down, no chance of traps that way. Bakuda might have mined the roof or something." She said. Glory Girl nodded, and Taylor lead the way to the third floor, where she paused and turned to Glory Girl, putting one hand on her shoulder.

"Glory. Be careful. Don't come back without getting properly healed- I'll ring the Protectorate once I'm ready, so don't try to be a hero."

Glory Girl didn't look that convinced, but she agreed quietly and moved off down the stairs, Grue and Regent following. Taylor turned to Tattletale.

"Just us two again, then. Let's make this quick: if Lung's on his way, we want to be gone before he arrives."

Tattletale nodded, and Taylor led the way again. If she was right there would be some kind of connecting door to the warehouse, and given that the warehouse was on the opposite side of the apartment building to the stairs she was betting it was near the three minds she sensed on this floor. They didn't seem wary, but there was a tension of stress in two of them. Prisoners, press-ganged by Bakuda maybe? Hard to tell. Didn't matter. They were close now, just one door away, and Taylor stood next to it quietly, deciding how to proceed. She still wanted to be quiet, stealthy, but there were three people in there and she couldn't rely on them looking away like the cell guards. Different plan.

"Here, hold this." Taylor said quietly, passing Tattletale her staff. Thus freed, Taylor raised her hand and rapped on the door, pushing a sense of curiosity onto the mind inside the room that didn't feel afraid. Whoever they were, they approached the door and opened it.

"Hello." Taylor said, pressing her hand to the gang members chest and driving a psychic spark through him. The man collapsed and Taylor stepped in, bringing her hands up and slamming the two others to the wall, holding them there with her telekinesis.

"Uber and Leet. I can't say I expected to see you here." She said, keeping them quiet by extending her telekinetic field to cover them in their entirety, preventing any motion. She couldn't keep this up for long- she needed to conserve power in case she went up against Lung- but for intimidation it had uses. Tattletale stepped around her.

"I didn't think we'd see them either. I don't think they're here by choice, though." She commented. Taylor looked at her, then shrugged and let them slide to the ground. Unnoticed, she kept up a fraction of her power, leaving a thin telekinetic noose in place around their throats. Just to make sure she could silence any cry.

"What are you doing here?" she said, looking closely at them. They were wearing the same costumes as the night before, and they looked dirty and tired. Uber frowned.

"Bakuda. We went to check that she was ok- she was employing us, y'know? But then her goons put guns on us and made us help them bring her back here. Decided we could be useful."

"Really? Lung went with that? He's not that stupid." Tattletale said, sounding sceptical. Uber shrugged.

"He turned up nearly an hour later. Told us we'd be paid plenty if we gave Bakuda a hand. Leet had already started working on something anyway- though I can't say I'm not glad to see you. Lung isn't really someone I want to work for."

Taylor leaned forward.

"Leet started to work on something? Started on what?" she said, her voice intense. Uber looked mutinous briefly, but then the defiance melted from his face and he shrugged again, tiredly.

"Lung needed Bakuda back in action. Didn't have time to wait for Panacea, didn't even know if she'd turn up. So he got Leet to make something to help her for the time being, maybe thought we could come up with something later on if Panacea was a no-show. I'm guessing that's gonna be the case seeing as the two of you are here."

"What did you make for Bakuda?" Taylor asked again, looking at Leet this time. He looked miserable still, but brightened a little.

"Stimpacks! You know, like in Fallout? The medicine? I made a machine that you put stuff into and it makes stimpacks!"

"Right. Stimpacks. For the non-gamers here, what do they do, exactly?" Taylor asked. Uber answered.

"They're…they're sort of like a healing item. In the game they heal you, but in real life they're more like…really souped up painkillers. They prevent infection, Leet said, and they numb pain so well that Bakuda can move like normal even when her arm and leg are all crispy." He said dully. Leet was beaming.

"It's incredible! They'll be so useful for our shows!"

A pause, and the smile fell.

"Unless the machine is destroyed."

Taylor glanced around the room, seeing a small machine in the corner. It was a little bigger than a normal printer, but otherwise fairly non-descript. She made a decision.

"Alright. Get out."

"What?" Uber and Leet asked, staring at her. Taylor jerked her head towards the door she had come through.

"Get out, and take your machine with you. I haven't got time to deal with you. Not with Bakuda around. So consider yourselves the lucky recipients of my mercy and leave."

Uber stared at her for a moment, then stood and pulled Leet upright, hurrying across to the machine and heaving it into his arms. Taylor watched silently, and he ushered Leet out of the door before nodding to her.

"Thanks. And, uh, be careful. Bakuda's even worse than normal- she's just through that door."

Taylor nodded, turning back to the door and waiting for them to leave. She heard Tattletale approach her- the Undersider was even more nervous than before, but she was hiding it excellently.

"You don't have any puns?" Tattletale asked. Taylor shrugged.

"I haven't really done my research."

"Your research? You do _research_ for puns?"

"Oh, yeah. Stuff like the Wolfenstein crack at Bakuda, that was a comparison someone made on the Internet. Like I told Uber and Leet, I don't game much. I just took the comparison and ran with it. Most of my puns are all me though."

"And the Mortal Kombat reference?"

Taylor looked at her, tilting her head to express confusion.

"The- the 'Get over here'? Mortal Kombat reference?"

Taylor shrugged.

"Not intentional. Just came to me."

"Huh."

"Yeah. Weird, I know. If that's all? Much as I like talking to you about my quick wit and enviable verbosity, we have a mad bomber to stop and an Undersider to save."

"Oh. Yeah, that."

Taylor smiled faintly from behind her mask, taking her staff back and placing her hand against the door to the warehouse.

"Nervous?"

"A little."

"Ah. Well… 'screw your courage to the sticking place, and 'twill not fail'."

"Shakespeare? Really?"

"It's a classic. And in that vein, unto the breach, dear friend. Unto the breach."

Taylor cast aside subtlety, and simply smashed the door from it's hinges. The wooden door sailed across the warehouse, smashing into a wall and drawing the attention of everybody in the warehouse.

"Hello, Bakuda."

Every eye turned to her. Taylor stepped through the doorway, onto the stairway that led down to the warehouse floor- slightly rusted steel, bolted to the wall and with a basic landing at the doorway. A flick of her hand tore the railing from the landing with a squeal of tortured steel, and Taylor stepped into empty air, catching and lowering herself with her power so that she drifted gently down to the floor.

"You!" Bakuda snarled, the distortion of her voice that her mask caused even more pronounced that before. The Tinker was wearing clothes similar to the night before, but bandages poked out of one sleeve and her right leg was encased in a rough cast. She looked unsteady on her feet, but the long coat she wore covered most of her injuries and she didn't seem to be in too much pain.

 _'Leet's drugs must really work.'_

 **"THEY ARE POTENT, IT SEEMS. INTERESTING. YOU SHOULD SEE IF YOU CAN GET A SAMPLE- IF WE CAN REVERSE-ENGINEER IT IT WOULD BE USEFUL."**

 _'If. I'll try, but no promises. No chances this time.'_

The brief mental conversation Taylor was holding was cut off by Bakuda, screeching once again.

"You- you dare! Kill her! Shoot her!"

The ABB were loyal to that order, if nothing else, and gunfire filled the warehouse in a rattling roar. Taylor tutted.

"You gangers and your guns." She said, and held up her hand. There was no shimmer, no rainbow shield, but the bullets simply directed away from her, glancing off the triangle shield of force that she erected in the air. She toyed with the idea of stopping them entirely, but it would be a waste of power. Power that she might need later. Bakuda was staring blankly at her, and Taylor took a single step forwards, letting lightning coil around her free left hand.

"Ah, Bakuda. You should have fled the city while you could. But you stayed here, instead, confident in your minions. Well, Bakuda, I don't have minions. But I do have something else. You have a gang, but I have power. Raw, _unlimited_ power."

Lightning cascaded from her hand, flashing to the guns the gang members held and wracking them in convulsions, wrapping around them in a manner no natural lightning could ever achieve. Taylor sprang across the distance, hand and staff flashing in motions as Bakuda hurled herself away, leaving the minions to Taylor. Staff blow, palm strike, sideward chop to the collar bone, each charged with a psychic spark and each brought down an ABB member. Two more blows, and Taylor felled the last by pressing her hand against his face and letting the power flow. The lightning, purple tinged, flowed off the bodies and wrapped around her arm again as she stepped past the huddled form of Hellhound, or Bitch or whatever she was called, stepping towards Bakuda as the Tinker backed away.

"Where are you running to, Bakuda?" Taylor asked, her voice deliberately disinterested. She wanted Bakuda to know that she was insignificant, that she didn't matter. That her pride was all for nothing. Her eyes picked up a slight movement, and she left her left hand dangle limply. If she was to pull this off, she'd need to make it look effortless.

"Running? Running? No, I was wasn't running." Bakuda panted, having fallen into a sitting position. Taylor narrowed her eyes as the Tinker gathered herself. Bakuda wasn't far off from descending into full blown screeching insanity, assuming she wasn't there already- the unpredictability made her dangerous. Then again, Bakuda was one-dimensional as a thinker. Everything revolved around her bombs.

"I wasn't running. I was looking for THIS!"

Bakuda lurched to her feet, a grenade launcher coming up in on hand and pointing. Taylor smiled behind her mask, the merest curve of her lips as Bakuda pulled the trigger. Taylor simply raised a hand, and stopped the grenade with an application of force. An application of force, incidentally, that detonated the grenade. Bakuda's arm turned to glass.

"Fuck!"

Taylor was already across the open space between them, thrusting her staff into Bakuda's other shoulder and dislocating it with a wrench of power. An instant later she pressed her palm against Bakuda's sternum and pushed her into the warehouse wall, pinning her there like a bug on a collecting board.

"As I said, Bakuda, your power pales in comparison."

Taylor began to walk towards the Tinker, keeping her trapped, and noted that Tattletale had moved to Hellhound.

"Tattletale, can you get away with her?" she asked, keeping her voice calm and conversational. The Undersider Thinker made a noise of affirmation.

"Yeah, we can manage."

"Manage? Manage? There's nothing to manage you bitch, Lung is coming for you, you'll all die!" Bakuda snarled, her voice rising to a shriek. Taylor sighed, her patience with Bakuda rapidly waning.

"Be. _Quiet."_

The stranglehold extended, wrapping around Bakuda's jaw and holding it still. Taylor half turned, looking back at Tattletale, who was leaning over her barely conscious team-mate.

"Can you see Bitches dogs anywhere? I don't want to leave without them." Tattletale said quietly. Taylor nodded, looking around until she spied a makeshift pen on the other side of the warehouse. She walked across, leaving Bakuda still pinned to the wall. As she drew closer, her nose wrinkled unconsciously at the smell, and she didn't need to look to realise what she would find. She looked anyway, closing her eyes in a long blink as she saw the bodies. Slowly, she walked back towards Bakuda, shaking her head when Tattletale looked at her. The Undersider Thinker frowned, her lips thinning out, but she kept talking to Bitch, carefully bringing the thickset girl to her feet. Taylor relaxed her hold on Bakuda's mouth for a moment, expecting that she would be quiet, but the Tinker defied expectations.

"Oh, you were looking for the dogs? Did you find them? Like what we did to them? We didn't need them, the bitch was just feral, only good for being an object lesson for Lung to teach. You should have heard her crying when-"

Taylor didn't extend the power this time. Instead, she reached out, and closed Bakuda's throat. The mocking voice turned to an agonised gurgle, and Taylor held it for a few long seconds, not looking at Bakuda. Not even when she released it.

"I told you, Bakuda, be quiet. That was your warning. There won't be a second one."

Bakuda, her breath even more rasping than before, said nothing and Taylor walked over to Tattletale.

"You have to go. Lung will be on his way and if he finds you here you'll be killed." She said. Tattletale shook her head, half-supporting Hellhound as they stood.

"We'll never get away. He'll come after us." She said. Taylor sighed, and shook her head.

"No. No, he won't. He'll be busy."

Tattletale stared at her for a long moment, and then a look of horror flashed across her face.

"What- you can't be serious."

"Can't I? You should go, by the way, clocks ticking."

"Clocks ticking? That's all you're going to say? You think I'm going to just walk away?"

Taylor hardened her voice, stepping closer to Tattletale. The Undersider needed to leave, and Taylor couldn't afford to indulge in some fledgling friendship with Lung on the way.

"Yes. I do. Because you aren't here for me, and I'm not doing this for you. I'm still here because I intend to demonstrate to Lung that he isn't free to do whatever he likes. Why are you still here?"

Tattletale grimaced.

"You said you would help me." She said, barely a murmur and Taylor caught the meaning from lip reading more than anything else. Taylor stepped a little closer, until they were almost nose-to-nose.

"And I will. Have a little faith." She replied, just as softly. Tattletale nodded sharply, turning towards the stairway to the apartment. Taylor called after her.

"Don't bother that way, Undersider." She said. She turned, gesturing with her right hand, and the double doors at the front of the warehouse scraped open, letting in a mix of harsh orange streetlight and paler, weaker moonlight. Tattletale nodded to her and moved towards the door, half carrying Hellhound. Taylor watched until she was out the doors, and then turned to Bakuda. She walked towards the Tinker with an unhurried stride, not showing the rage boiling within her. Bakuda, having recovered from her choking-induced sensibility, started talking again.

"Oh, look at you. All heroic and brave. Lung will kill you! Tear the flesh from your bones, sear your spine, crush your organs!"

Taylor said nothing, simply walking towards the crazed Tinker and releasing her grip on her power, letting Bakuda fall to the floor. The Tinker swore as she fell, struggling to gain her feet with both arms useless, but managed it.

"Oh, so tough. Just like that Bitch was, until I realised we didn't need her. Feral. No use to us, only as an example. She thought she was tough too, until we killed her precious dogs. Should have seen the ugly bitch cry, all screwed up face. It was pathetic!"

Taylor kept walking, now only a few steps from Bakuda and keeping an iron grip on her temper, though she let her staff drift from her fingers and come to rest on the floor behind her.

"And that Glory whore, thinking she could take Lung on. She didn't have a chance, needed rescue by you. Pity, I would have enjoyed seeing her forced to serve me once I put the bomb in her head-"

The increasingly shrill ranting finally wore Taylors patience too thin, and she crossed the open space in a single step. The air rushed from Bakuda's lungs and Taylor buried her fist in the Tinkers stomach. A savage frenzy rushing through her, Taylor grabbed Bakuda by the back of her mask and threw her, her enhanced strength sending the Tinker airborne for a brief moment before Taylor wrapped tendrils of power around her and rammed her into the wall again. Bakuda's glass arm shattered. Blood poured. The scream was barely a wheeze.

"Pity. I can't have you bleeding to death." Taylor said, her voice hard and terrible even to herself. She stepped in, and warpfire blazed bright in her left hand. She pressed it to the bleeding stump, and Bakuda's scream seared the air even as the stench of burning flesh filled Taylor's lungs. The Tinker might have fainted, had Taylor not driven a slap across her face and pulled her upright.

"You really should have left the city, Bakuda." Taylor said, pinning the Tinker to the wall with a hand at the throat and lifting her other hand to the gasmask.

"The attack on the Undersiders? No big problem. Attacking the PRT HQ? Stupid, but maybe not too bad. Bombing those churches, those police stations, that hospital, putting bombs in those people? Stupid. Very stupid."

Bakuda choked something, but Taylor didn't give her a chance to speak before tearing off the gas mask, exposing the Tinkers face. Bakuda might have once been pretty, in an unremarkable way, but her features were now dominated by raw, seared scarring from the bomb the night before. Taylor gazed at her without pity, simply dropping her and taking two steps back. Bakuda coughed, and then gave a malevolent glare at Taylor.

"Knew- knew you wouldn't do it."

"Wouldn't do it? Oh, Bakuda. You mean, wouldn't kill you?" Taylor asked, her voice having eased a little into conversational. The anger was still there, but it had receded a little.

"Hero. Useless coward. Too weak to do it." Bakuda rasped, eyes alight with an unsettling fervency. Taylor shook her head.

"Yes. Yes, I suppose you're right. I am a Hero, and I shouldn't kill." She said, half musingly. And then she shrugged.

"Of course, shouldn't is the key word there."

Bakuda's eyes widened in horror, and Taylor gestured, invisible force dragging Bakuda off the floor and dangling her helplessly in the air. Taylor stepped closer again.

"You see, Bakuda, you managed to get a kill order. And really? I can't find any reason not to execute it."

Taylor raised her right hand, her left holding Bakuda up. Normally, she couldn't affect internal organs. But from this close? She could simply close a psychic vice around Bakuda's heart and claim the Tinker died of a heart attack. Who would know? And even if someone realised, who would care?

"This is it, Bakuda. Here it is, the moment when you reap what you have sown."

Taylor shook her head, looking into the eyes of the Tinker, still alight with madness but infected by fear now.

"All your life you've been selfish. You've been pampered, spoiled. Your first failure, you are gifted with powers beyond anyone else, and you immediately use them to hurt others. No, Bakuda. You will be no great loss. And unless you've a very compelling reason to be spared…well. Speak now or forever hold your peace."

"Wait!" Bakuda gasped. Taylor stopped raising her hand.

"Wait?"

Bakuda was grinning now, her scars making the expression entirely unhinged.

"No. No, don't. Go ahead. Kill me, and set off the dead man switch in my heart."

Taylor stilled. A dead mans switch. That could be dangerous. Bakuda was still grinning.

"Yeah, that's right. Kill me. Make all those little schools and hospitals go boom, see if your righteous posing gets you any favours then." She hissed, practically gloating. Taylor blinked once, slowly.

"Bakuda. A switch linked to your heartbeat. How very ingenious." She said softly, thinking through her options and rapidly settling on one. Bakuda ceased gloating- Taylor guessed that something in her tone had frightened the Tinker.

"What? How do you know that?"

"Oh, Bakuda. I know many things. And I'll share one of those with you."

Taylor turned her head up, looking at Bakuda directly.

"I need your body alive. Nothing in there about your mind. _Look into my eyes."_

Bakuda was, for all her intelligence, weak in mind. She had never attained any strength, coasting through life until she failed. Even her madness only splintered her focus, and though there was some odd, echoing resistance in her mind it was far from sufficient. The will of Bakuda and whatever was helping her was no match for the combined will of Taylor and The Emperor.

Five minutes after starting her mental invasion Taylor dropped the husk that was once Bakuda on the warehouse floor. Her body was alive, but her soul and mind were scattered, mere shards, already dissipating into the Immaterium. Taylor considered the look of utter terror, now etched eternally into Bakuda's face, and shrugged. The gas mask would cover it. Now all she had to do was move the body. Her upcoming fight was with Lung, and he had something of a track record for area damage. It would do her no good if Bakuda's body was crushed because Lung brought down a building. Taylor pulled out her phone as she carried the body away.

"Dauntless."

The voice came quickly- the phone had only rung three times before the Hero answered.

"Hello, Dauntless. You might be interested to know that I managed to find Bakuda. And Glory Girl. And the Undersiders."

"You did it? How- I won't ask. We got Oni Lee, he's in custody now. Where are you? Where's Bakuda?" Dauntless asked, his voice quick and clear. Taylor shrugged, carrying Bakuda into an alleyway.

"Bakuda? She's with me. Took her down, though she seems to have had some kind of mental breakdown. Practically in a coma."

The lie came so smoothly off her lips, Taylor almost believed it herself.

"She said that she's got a dead mans switch in herself, though, so I didn't want to hurt her too badly. She lost an arm to her own bomb, but she's mostly intact otherwise."

"A dead mans- Jesus. She could take out half the city if the bombs are well planted. Where are you?"

Taylor didn't answer the question immediately, instead carefully placing Bakuda on the ground in the alleyway. No guarantee of safety, but better than being in the immediate danger zone. Dauntless repeated his question: Taylor set off back to the ABB warehouse.

"Dauntless." She said quietly. The Hero didn't reply immediately, but after a few steps he replied, clearly deciding to humour her rather than ask her location again.

"Yes?"

"Lung is on his way here. I'm staying behind."

"What? Circaetus, you can't- he's too strong." Dauntless said, a tinge of alarm entering his professional tone. Taylor laughed.

"If I backed down from anyone considered too strong I'd never leave my house. I'm only telling you because, really, you might need to get clear up teams ready."

"I- yeah, I guess. If you tell me where you are we can help."

Taylor paused by the warehouse doors.

"No. You wouldn't get here in time." She said. She thought briefly, and then shrugged.

"You know, I'm doing this the wrong way around. Usually you slay the dragon before you rescue the damsel in distress."

Dauntless said nothing in reply. She gave him the address.

Lung arrived only a few minutes later. Taylor was stood in the shadow of the warehouse stairs to the apartment, arms folded: she had woken the ABB members she had knocked unconscious and told them to run. None of them had hesitated. From the corner of her eye she could see Uber and Leets Snitch, the camera drone trying to be inconspicuous by hiding near the ceiling. It had only just arrived- Taylor had to appreciate the sheer opportunism of the pair. Even if Lung smashed her to paste in the first ten seconds they'd get plenty of viewers.

 _'This should be interesting.'_ Taylor noted mentally. She had been leaning against the wall, preparing herself: her mind was open to the energies of the Immaterium. Every cell in her body thrummed with contained power. The only questions now became simple: was it enough? And, in her current state, could she endure the power for long enough for it to matter? Even without the effects of the War in Heaven, the Immaterium was the thing that had become the Warp. Its energy was inimical to those without great strength of body as well as will.

 **"YOU CAN ONLY FIND OUT."** Observed the Emperor, himself working to keep the power in check.

 _'Never really thought of myself as a knight in shining armour before. You think we should end this fast?'_

 **"IF YOU CAN. ALWAYS END FIGHTS FAST IF YOU CAN. BUT IF IT GOES ON TOO LONG, HE BECOMES TOO STRONG, YOU MAY HAVE TO USE YOUR…NEW TECHNIQUE."**

 _'Ah. Yes, that. I'll try to avoid it unless I have no other choice. Quite a way to field test, though.'_

 **"INDEED."**

Taylor straightened as a black vehicle skidded to a halt in front of the warehouse doors. The door of the vehicle opened, and a bulky figure emerged. Lung. The gang leader was shirtless as always, metal mask in place, and his skin bulged oddly, deformations covering his flesh that denoted the scales already formed within. Lung was already prepared for a fight. Taylor smiled as she stepped forward.

"Hmph." Lung grunted, staring at her. His eyes were like molten pits of orange behind his mask: Taylor imagined it made quite a contrast to her mask, lit by the blazingly electric blue of her own eyes.

"So. Circaetus. You continue to war on me." Lung said, his voice thick with his accent and heavy with power. Taylor fancied she could smell brimstone on the breeze as he stared at her, but that was probably her imagination.

"There's no continue, Lung. You made a mistake, and now you'll pay for it." She responded, voice flat and cold. No quips. No puns. Not yet, at least. The ABB leader chuckled, his shoulders shaking briefly with mirth.

"You threaten me? Lung? You are nothing, _hero._ Stay here to fight? You'll die. Then your friends. And it will be seen by the camera of those jackals. I am Lung. You are irrelevant."

Taylor crossed the space before them in a lighting fast leap, and her pressed against Lung's chest, a focal point for the massive psychic push she unleashed. Lung crashed into a wall, and Taylor looked into the cloud of brick dust without moving any further.

"Am I still irrelevant, Lung?"

The roar that followed shook her bones, and a gout of flame exploded from the warehouse wall, rushing towards her as Lung rose, boiling with fury. The fire parted before her, uncontrolled and no threat, and Taylor gestured as Lung rushed her. The first brick from the opposite wall hit Lung in the mask, and the big man, now scaled in silver and growing larger, staggered as it dented his mask. The bricks that followed sent him reeling, bringing his arms up as Taylor unleashed a storm of stone to cover her rapid approach.

Lung dropped his arms, a roar beginning to build.

Taylor rammed her staff into his chest.

Bones cracked and Lung's roar choked in his throat as she thrust her staff with both hands, the wood sheathed in energy so fierce it was visible. The backlash blew her back several feet, but it hurled Lung into the wall again. Structural damage didn't matter. She'd bring the whole warehouse down on him if she had to.

Lung hauled himself out of the wreckage of the wall again. Flames dripped from his battered mask, hands clawed and scaled and he was taller than before. Already big, Taylor guessed that he was approaching nine feet now and his wounds seemed to be healing as she watched.

 _'Guess he isn't all talk.'_ She idly commented. Lung glared at her, and one taloned hand rose to point at her.

"Kill you!" snarled the ABB leader, his voice more guttural than before, Lung already losing himself to the animal within. Taylor raised her hand and beckoned to him, the beckoning hand already crackling with a gauntlet of lightning.

Lung charged. The bull-rush came right at her, roaring and bringing his claws up, and Taylor ran at him, gritting her teeth in concentration as she readied herself. The trick she was about to try would need timing: she couldn't face him head on, she would need to outmanoeuvre him. Lung lunged, a massive, surprisingly agile leap from almost ten feet away. Taylor planted her staff on the ground, shoved hard and vaulted him. The enraged scream was still leaving his throat when she landed, twisting on her heel and ramming her left fist hard into his back. The scales held even against her brutal strike, her warp-augmented muscle not enough to pierce the metallic defence, but the energy around her arm leapt into Lung, racing through flesh and bone with terrible force. Lung roared as he fell to his knees, thrashing and twisting from the warp-born electricity, but a flailing elbow caught Taylor in the stomach and she was sent sprawling.

"Fuck!" Taylor spat as she landed hard, rolling barely in time to avoid a smashing blow from Lung, the draconic man already recovered and moving, if a little jerkily. She dodged frantically, trapped in close with the brutish villain as he rained furious, pulverising blows down upon her, smashing concrete as she rolled and jerked, desperately evading blows that would crush her to a bloody pulp if they ever hit. Lung loomed over her and she rolled onto her back, taking hold of her staff in both hands as Lung raised his arms. The arms came down in a crashing double blow and Taylor met it with a shield of force from her staff, but Lung was stronger than her and the fire around his fists was growing hotter as he inexorably pressed the shield down, closer to her. Taylor gritted her teeth, drawing up a leg and lashing out, blindly hoping it would distract Lung.

Lung might have been making the transformation into a dragon, but he wasn't there yet. And Taylor's blind kick slammed into his groin.

Lung lurched, the pressure on the shield almost vanishing as he hunched in instinctive, automatic pain, and Taylor rammed her staff up, converting the shield into a battering ram that knocked him back enough for her to stand. She snapped to her feet and glared at Lung, who glared back. His mask had fallen off, his eyes blazing with fury and his mouth twisted into a four-part maw more like an eel than a man. Taylor slugged him in the face.

Lung staggered from the blow, mouth and head wobbling and twisting on the long neck but his claw came around and Taylor barely avoided it, turning to gain distance but something latched onto her coat and a thrill of utter panic went through her. Lung dragged her back, and she dragged one arm out of her coat, throwing her staff away with the other but Lung swung her around, flinging her and keeping hold of her coat. Taylor was able to cushion her fall, but the breath still went out of her in a gasp, and as she looked up the fire around Lung's fist spread to her coat with alarming speed, turning the garment to ash. Lung looked at her, giving an ugly, bubbling laugh from his malformed mouth, and she snarled.

"You _fuck._ I liked that coat!"

Her power flared, the very air tasting metallic from the weight of it, and the metal and shrapnel all around them whirled towards her, snapping and twisting into a makeshift suit of armour around her. Taylor let electricity pour through the armour as a plate closed across her mouth, glaring at Lung.

"Round two, bastard."

Lung leapt across the open space, triumph filling his roar as he hurtled towards her, and Taylor grinned. He was too used to fighting the Empire leader Kaiser, thinking she was going to armour up and brawl with him. He had no idea.

She charged forward, acting as though she would meet Lungs own rush, but at the very last moment she pushed her power through the shrapnel and debris that made up her armour and exploded it into a swirling maelstrom. A maelstrom centred directly on Lungs face.

The dragon-man flinched back, the metal shards slicing at his eyes, and Taylor ran at him, warpfire bursting into existence around her clenched fist even as she dragged the floor behind him into a hump, tearing the already damaged concrete. Lung arched his long neck and exhaled with a bellowing roar. Flame lanced through the cloud of buzzing metal and speared towards her, and Taylor gritted her teeth and sprang. Her boots left the floor as she crashed into the plume of fire, parting it before her and smashing into Lung. She slammed her boots into his chest, rammed her fire-surrounded right fist into his face. Lung staggered back and tripped over the raised floor and fell and Taylor threw herself away from the now nearly ten-feet tall man, rolling and snatching for her staff with her left hand. Lung rose and Taylor spun and the warpfire around her hand burst across the brief space and struck his face, clinging and burning. Lung might be fireproof, but having a face full of near napalm was going to distract anybody.

Taylor ran for the doors while Lung was threshing and roaring, sprinting through them and sliding to a halt as she turned. She needed more time: there was one easy way to get it.

She stretched out her power, and tore the supports from the walls, shattering the warehouse structure. The roof fell in.

' _That should slow him down.'_ Taylor remarked, swaying a little on her feet. She held out a hand, dragging the bag that she had left at the edge of a nearby building across to her, but as it reached her a savage spike of pain seared through her stomach and chest and she doubled up, choking. She fell to one knee, clawing her scarf away from her mouth and coughing. Blood spattered the ground below her.

 _'That isn't good.'_

 **"YOU'RE PUSHING TOO FAR, TOO FAST. YOUR BODY CANNOT WITHSTAND THE WARP FOR MUCH LONGER."**

 _'I know! I know. But I can't stop now. Just a little longer. Just a little more.'_

 **"YOU CAN STILL USE…IT."**

 _'I've got one more trick before that.'_

Taylor rose to her feet, tossing her scarf away before dragging a hand across her mouth and spitting some more blood onto the ground. The pain had receded, but it was still there, hovering at the edge of her mind. Didn't matter. The fight was more important.

Fire plumed, and Lung came roaring out of the rubble that was the warehouse. Taylor smiled thinly, reaching into the satchel she had called to her hand and withdrawing a small, round object.

 _'Remind me to thank Bakuda for this. Or at least, thank her husk.'_

Taylor threw the grenade. Lung barely saw it in time. The explosion took out a chunk of street, but Lung had thrown himself aside and wasn't even scratched. Taylor shrugged: there were plenty more. She didn't bother throwing them, instead flicking her hand and sending the explosives sailing towards the ABB leader, forcing him to dodge and twist desperately. Even as she did so, she manipulated others, bringing them along the ground, forming a circle. Lung didn't notice them until he leapt away from a time-dilating blast and landed in the middle.

"Goodbye, Lung." Taylor said, closing her fist and triggering every impact detonator at once.

Just like with Oni Lee, the explosion was a kaleidoscope of sound and light that brought a slightly grim smile to Taylor's face as she watched it.

"Just like the Fourth of July." She commented, leaning on her staff and hoping that was the end of it. She knew her hope was wrong, but a girl could dream. She sighed and straightened as a vast roar of anger split the air.

"The man doesn't know when to die."

She waved her hand, blowing away the mist and dust that obscured her vision, and gazed tiredly upon the scene before her. The explosives had torn a great hole in the ground, a hemisphere where all was simply missing and which was rapidly beginning to fill with water from a shattered pipe, but that was not what occupied most of her attention. No, that place was given to Lung, who was hunched over, his back to her. The heavy, bony protrusions that extended from his shoulder blades and would become wings given long enough had been turned to glittering glass, much of his tail otherwise, and a portion of the scales on his back glittered, transparent and showing the flesh underneath, but it was too much to hope that it would stop him. Lung rose from his crouch, his roar agonised as glass cracked and broke, fledgling wings and scales shattering and slewing off to leave gaping tears and flayed flesh, but as he turned to face Taylor his fury burned brighter than ever.

"ILL!"

Lung leapt across the crater, even larger than before and as fast as ever, and Taylor hesitated for an instant, delayed by surprise. She was able to dodge the pullmeting claws and snapping fangs, getting behind him but his tail caught her in the ribs and she was sent sailing. Something- several somethings- cracked on the hit, and Taylor cried out as her ribs flared with agony. She landed brutally hard on her left arm, a sick crunch accompanying another burst of pain, and gasped in a breath as she looked down. Lungs glass tail had shattered on impact, driving the shards into her flesh, and Taylor let out a sharp gasp of pain as she forced her arm up and dragged them out, relying on her power. Everything hurt.

 **"RIBS, FRACTURED. ARM, FRACTURED. WARP IS BREAKING DOWN YOUR BODY, AND YOU WILL BLEED TO DEATH IF THOSE WOUNDS AREN'T SEALED."** The Emperor reported, crisp and urgent. Taylor gritted her teeth as she forced herself to stand, forced herself to ignore the agony.

 _'Yeah. I get it.'_ She mentally responded, lighting her left hand with warpfire. This would hurt.

Taylor threw back her head and screamed as she clamped her burning hand over her injuries, searing the bloody gouges shut to the accompaniment of her howls and the smell of burning flesh. Lung, standing across from her, laughed, a brutal sound of rasping metal and ugly intent. Taylor staggered after extinguishing the fire, light-headed with pain.

"He's too tough. Keeps regenerating." She said, realising that she spoke aloud only after she said the words.

 **"HIS POWER IS FORMIDABLE, BUT YOU CAN WIN. HE IS NOT INVULNERABLE. NOTHING IS."** The Emperor responded. Taylor blinked, shook her head back into focus and looked around, her eyes falling upon one of the glassy wing-struts that had broken away from Lung.

"He's just getting stronger while I get weaker. I guess it's only in his interest to keep on dragon the fight." She said aloud, smiling at the last bit. Puns would never desert her, she thought and even as she thought that another struck. Glass. Glass, the Fulgurite.

 _'The fulgurite.'_

 ** _"_** **THE FUL- THAT COULD WORK."** The Emperor responded immediately, some life entering his monotone. Taylor looked up at Lung, who was still laughing and had begun a slow, measured approach. She flexed her left hand, and pulled the glass into it, snapping and shattering it until it looked vaguely like a spear.

 _'This will hurt.'_ She absently noted, even as she forced her power through the glass spear and let it crackle in her hand with all the power she could muster. Her headache flared, but she forced it aside. This would work.

The fulgurite. A weapon crafted by The Emperor himself, forged from the Chaos-tainted sands of a conquered world, fused into glass by the tremendous power of The Emperor's psychic lightning and imbued with a very simple, very terrible power: The Fulgurite killed. Anything. Not even a Perpetual could survive it's might, a weapon that destroyed the very soul. Taylor might not be able to replicate the effect, but something that would hamper Lung's regeneration? Yeah, she could manage that. She took the first step forward, her legs unsteady but firming with every stride. She let her staff fall as she broke into a run, charging at Lung. Seeing her move, he roared and sped up himself. Taylor leapt from the edge of the pit in the street, dragging a cloud of debris behind her and launching it at Lung with a cry of defiance. Lung roared as it tore his flesh, his own leap altering slightly. Taylor thrust with her glass weapon.

A claw smashed into her, driving the breath from her and shifting her trajectory with a blaze of pain in her ribs, but the bootleg Fulgurite had buried itself in Lung's briefly exposed flesh and the twist shattered it and his roar was more pain than ever before as she tore out the fragments of shrapnel imbedded in him in a bloody torrent of flesh and bone. Taylor landed hard on the side of the crater opposite the one she had leapt from, but she was still alive and even if the pain from her now-almost-certainly broken ribs was blinding and she was on her hands and knees she had managed it. She blinked, a wetness in her eyes that fell to the concrete and she hoped that the thick redness of the liquid was an imagination colouring tears because the alternative was…disturbing. But it didn't matter. She stood and turned.

Lung had landed without grace, on the opposite side of the crater. He rose faster than she did, but he was thrashing and howling, clawing at his chest where the silver scales gave way to bright, bloody crimson red and Taylor grinned savagely. Already Lung was shrinking, his flesh not closing as well as it should, his regeneration slowed, and his face was a mess of red blood and white bone and yellow, glowing eyes and ivory fangs, the shrapnel tearing from inside the flesh inflicting horrid injuries. And yet he stood and turned, more maddened beast than human and Taylor knew that she only had one choice.

 _'It's time. I have to use it.'_

 **"TAYLOR, YOU AREN'T IN ANY FIT STATE TO- YOU COULD DIE. THE PRESSURE ON YOUR BODY COULD BE TOO MUCH."**

The Emperor sounded worried. Taylor knew why, but she didn't have a choice. And she knew that, in his very soul, the Emperor understood that.

 _'It doesn't matter. I win. I lose. I fight. Doesn't matter. I do not bow. I do not serve. I do not flee. And if I die here, I will do so knowing that I have done everything I can. That I fought to my last breath, my last drop of blood, my last shred of will. I will not yield.'_

The Emperor said nothing. Lung, staggering, slid down into the crater and started towards her, a terrible, malevolent determination in every bloody step. Taylor took a deep breath, and smiled.

"I hoped you liked all my other tricks, Lung." She said, loudly. The Snitch might be watching, or it might not. But if it was…well, the viewers would get a show.

"But even if you didn't, this last one…well, it'll take your breath away."

Taylor flung her arms wide, dragging and twisting with all her might, and pain screamed through her. The fire around Lungs head went out, the water moved away from him, and a massive, clawed hand grasped at his throat as his eyes bulged and his knees gave way. Taylor screamed, venting the agony that ran through every limb, every bone, every nerve but she kept going, kept pulling, kept Lung trapped and he was shrinking, writhing, struggling to escape and climbing from the crater but the prison moved with him and she just had to hold out longer than his regeneration could stand and she was winning and she-just-had-to-

Taylor opened her eyes to find the Emperor roaring at her, the booming voice crying out for her to stand and she blinked and moaned as the pain came back with a fury. She reached for her powers but there was nothing there, nothing and she panicked for an awful, eternal instant before she found it, a tiny trickle that was all, barely a fragment of her might but still there and she could have wept. She looked up.

Lung was in the same position as her, bent over, fallen on his hands and knees on the concrete several feet away while she rested on the crater lip. He was barely larger than a human now, claws and fangs and tail and fledgling wings gone, blood running down his chest and face that were still dotted with scales, but he was standing and Taylor screamed inside her mind, screamed at herself to move. It was a race now, to see who stood first. Lung won.

Lung stood, unsteady, shaking, bloody, and Taylor gained her feet an instant later, every inch of her body in agony but her will unbroken, and she would not lose. Not here. Not to him, not even if she had to drag him into the crater and drown him in the water there and she gritted her teeth, fought through the pain but Lung wasn't approaching her. He was backing away, turning and she stretched out her hand, snarling and cursing and willing him to fight because _she wasn't done yet_ but he was limping away and he had vanished and she heard a car start and she had fallen again, was falling, toppling towards the ground but something had landed before her and caught her in a soft grip and was laying her down and Taylor blinked at the older woman in the white costume. New Wave, she thought. Lady Photon? Something like that.

"Circaetus? Circaetus, talk to me!"

The woman sounded urgent but Taylor couldn't manage more than a soft groan as she lay back, the concrete and rubble suddenly seeming very comfortable to her. More figures in white, two rushing across, and Panacea and Glory Girl suddenly appeared over her, worry in their faces and Taylor found it in herself to smile up at them. She might not have captured Lung, but she supposed she could call this a win. She rested her head back, still smiling through cracked and bloody lips. Now all she needed was some sleep.

 _'Held off Lung, got Bakuda and Lee, saved Glory and the Undersiders. Yeah, I'm gonna call this a win.'_

Ah, there was that blissful darkness. Unconsciousness was a wonderful thing, she concluded as she slipped away from the pain.

* * *

 **And there it is. Taylor may have gone off the deep end in this chapter, but I thought it was appropriate.**

 **This one took quite a while: as with most of my chapters, I'm not exactly thrilled with it, but I don't have the heart to go through it all again. Apologies for any mistakes or lore inconsistencies- I'm actually reading Worm as I write this, so some things may be slightly off.**

 **Psychic healing- that is apparently a thing. Turned up in the RPG's I believe, but it's limited, Taylor isn't going to be the next Panacea.**

 **Regarding a PHO section, I do intend to do one, and it will be the next chapter. However, I intend to try and release it alongside the next actual chapter.**

 **Finally, I hope you enjoyed reading this and, as always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Thank you.**


	8. PHO Interlude

_**And finally, another chapter. This one took a damn long time to finish.**_

* * *

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 **Topic: Circaetus vs Lung**

 **In: Boards: Places: US, Brockton Bay**

 **Poster: Bagrat**

 _Bagrat_ :

For those in the know, you can ignore this first part. For those not as familiar, Circaetus is a fairly new independent Cape operating here in Brockton Bay. She doesn't seem to be part of the Protectorate, but she's worked with the Wards, plus she works with Glory Girl a lot. Mid profile probably, seems to have a grudge against the Empire, nothing too big behind her.

Couple of days ago, Lung went to rescue Oni Lee. He got into a battle with Glory Girl and the Protectorate and ended up taking GG with him when he left, as a hostage. Circaetus wasn't happy about it. And, well…video below.

 _Excelsior:_

Oh my God.

 _Bertybee:_

Wait.

What.

 _Wait._

Did some new Independent, not even that powerful, just throw down with _Lung?_

 _Vertigal:_

No. She didn't just throw down with Lung.

She threw down with Lung and held her own.

She threw down with Lung and practically won.

All hail our glorious Mistress?

 _Meerple:_

That's not all. She went through Oni Lee, Bakuda, Rune, Victor and Othala before Lung. And she hurt them pretty badly. Can't say I'm sorry, though.

 _Mr_Sceptics:_

Oh. Yeah, great. Another nut who's got no self-control and no oversight. At least the Protectorate has Shadow Stalker on a leash.

 _Meerple:_

What's that supposed to mean, Sceptics? SS was a vigilante going around beating on gangbangers, how does that have anything to do with Circaetus taking on a bunch of other Capes?

 _Mr_Sceptics:_

How does it- of course it matters! She went from good and fine to almost killing half a dozen people just because a friend got hurt! She's unstable and a danger to everyone around her.

 _Albert_filip:_

I have to agree with Sceptics here. I know someone in the PRT and they said that when they got to Oni Lee he was pinned to a wall, like a bug in a collection. A normal person wouldn't do that. Hell, that's _villain_ behaviour.

 _Murmurus:_

I actually saw her fight the Empire Capes. It was brutal, and she was straight up Force Choking them. And then I see her throwing lightning around at Lung? That's some kinda Dark Side Star Wars stuff, man. And after all that we're supposed to believe that Bakuda is conveniently 'in a coma'?

 _Vertigal:_

Wait, what?

How is this suddenly claiming Circaetus is nearly a bad guy?

Nobody died. The forces of good prevailed. And besides that, Murmurus…well, what was your line on the "Bakuda/Uber/Leet vs Circaetus/Undersiders thread? Oh yeah, I remember.

'She should have just decapitated Bakuda. Maybe if she wasn't so squeamish so many people wouldn't have died.'

How does hypocrisy feel, by the way?

 _Murmurus:_

I wasn't aware that changing your mind was considered hypocrisy now. Besides, if you can't see the difference between killing someone who's basically the embodiment of terrorism and brutalising people because you get off on it, you're an idiot.

 _Vertigal:_

Brutalising people because- what the hell? That's not a jump in logic, that's a leap into the atmosphere!

 _Loopine:_

Funny how people always make excuses for villains, but the moment it's a hero losing their temper it's torches and pitchforks.

 _Tin Mother(mod):_

Please stay on topic, people. If you want to talk about Cape ethics, there's a whole thread for that.

* * *

 **Topic: Circaetus/Undersiders vs Bakuda/Uber and Leet**

 **In: Boards: Places: US, Brockton Bay**

 **Poster: Simianis**

 **Page 5**

 _Murmurus:_

She should have just killed Bakuda. That's what I've been saying since the start of this whole thread. If she'd just swung that sword there's be no more rampage, people wouldn't have died. That blood is _on her hands._

 _Elpicor:_

On her hands? What? How does that even make sense, Circaetus didn't set off the bombs. She doesn't have any responsibility for what Bakuda does!

 _Murmurus:_

She let Bakuda go. Bakuda went on to kill more people because she had been let live and then allowed to escape. Ergo, Circaetus can be blamed for the deaths and injuries just as much as Bakuda.

 _Reginal_Hackworth:_

Bit far to say that all the blood is on her hands. She's not judge, jury and executioner you know.

But yeah, I get what you mean. There's a whole lot of people would have been better off if she'd just swung that sword.

 _Loopine:_

Oh yeah? And then what, after she'd beheaded Bakuda? It'd be 'violent vigilante' and the Wards all over again, just like Shadow Stalker!

 _Murmurus:_

Well maybe that would be best! Circaetus is dangerous and she's going to do something wrong and get people killed! Look at her fighting Lung- if that had gone out of control then hundred or thousands of people might have been killed!

 _Tin_Mother(moderator):_

Keep your focus on the thread topic, people. And at least try to be polite? I don't want to shut this thread down but I will if I have to.

 _Elpicor:_

It's easy for us to say that she should have killed Bakuda. But maybe I'm not comfortable with the idea of Capes running around killing people, especially people who haven't been condemned.

 _Reginal_Hackworth:_

In all fairness, it was pretty obvious that Bakuda was going to get a Kill Order put on her.

 _Elpicor:_

I didn't say that would make it all right. And besides, saying 'well it was obvious they were going to get a kill order' is a dangerous road to go down.

 _Murmurus:_

Oh, you're ohne of them. A bleeding heart who thinks all villains can be redeemed and the death penalty is evil, right?

 _Elpicor:_

Boy, you should talk to a farmer. That strawman you built would scare away plenty of crows.

I didn't say I thought the death penalty was evil. I'm saying that I'm not comfortable with Capes acting as kill squads, especially in advance.

 _Reginal_Hackworth:_

Yeah, we don't want Capes acting as pre-emptive kill squads. But Bakuda sure as hell deserves the death penalty. It's just a pity that Circaetus let her get away the first time. Say what you want, at least some of the blame for the second wave of bombings is on her.

* * *

 **Topic: Circaetus' Powers: What even are they**

 **In: Boards: Places: US, Brockton Bay**

 **Poster: Verminial_345:)**

 _Verminial_345:):_

Seriously. What. It's like she's the second coming of Eidolon. Did she get two plates at the grab-bag buffet or something?

 _Cake_badnit:_

She must be the daughter of Eidolon! Cloned in a lab and brought up in secret to become the ultimate hero!

Seriously though, her powers are all over the place. I would honestly not be surprised if she was the daughter of Eidolon.

 _Jumping_mann:_

Circaetus=Eidolon. Glory Girl=Alexandria. So…who's going to be the Legend? Any bets?

 _Cake_Badnit:_

The next Legend? Eehh…Shielder? Laserbeam? Who knows. Kid Win for Hero stand-in though! At least he has the right colours.

 _Its_a_conspiracy:_

Guys. There's no way that Circaetus is the next Eidolon. She's not a grab bag. She's a _power copier._

 _Verminal_345:):_

A power copier?

 _Its_a_conspiracy:_

Think about it. She turns up, takes on Krieg and Rune. She's a telekinetic like none before. She meets Glory Girl, she can hover. She takes on Lung, she can throw fire. It all fits!

 _Cake_badnit:_

I-I wanna say that's crazy. But somehow…

 _Jumping_mann:_

What about her lightning, though? Where does that come from?

 _Its_a_conspiracy:_

Lightning? No idea. Purity, maybe? But just you watch. She'll turn up as a Tinker next. And then you'll all be sorry you doubted me.

 _Verminal_345:):_

The worrying thing is, I'm not even sure that he's wrong.

* * *

 ** _And there, the thing that you have waited so long for. And now to begin writing the next actual Chapter...no, I'm kidding. I'm not even sure why I made that terrible joke, the next Chapter should be uploaded already._**

 ** _I have to admit, I deeply regret this Interlude. It was a slog, to be honest, and it took be as long as the seven-times-longer actual chapter did. Still, I hope it wasn't too much of a disappointment to you all._**

 ** _As ever, reviews are deeply appreciated._**


	9. Chapter 7

_**As always, Worm does not belong to me. And neither does Warhammer 40k, come to think of it.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

Taylor returned to consciousness with the slow thumping of her heart filling her head, a brief jolt of pain pulsing with the beat but slowly receding. She cracked open her eyelids, a gargantuan effort that felt harder than anything in her fight with Lung, and peered up at the person leaning over her. Really, she supposed that she should leap to her feet, athletically prepared for battle and lashing out blindly, but she hurt too much for that.

Fortunately, her mouth still worked.

"Where 'm I?" she managed, her voice croaky and rasping but recognisable. The white dressed figure in the corner of her eye turned.

"You're in my house." Panacea said, her voice mildly disapproving. Taylor blinked slowly, some of her mind coming back online.

"Why am I in your house?" she said, her voice still unsteady but at least pronouncing properly.

"Because you just went ten rounds with Lung. And, more importantly, it was all seen by the Snitch." Announced Glory Girl, sweeping in and leaning over Taylor. Taylor blinked at her, and Glory grinned.

"Yep. Everybody in the know got to watch you throw down with Lung in full, high def, glorious livestream. Couldn't take you to hospital, you'd be swamped."

"With what? People wanting to know how getting the crap beaten out of you feels?" Taylor managed. Panacea snorted. Glory blinked, glancing at her sister.

"You mean, how does it feel to beat the crap out of yourself. All those micro injuries aren't from Lung, are they?"

Taylor shut her mouth and turned her face away a fraction, her expression hardening. She did what she had to. What she wanted to. Panacea continued.

"No. I've even seen the video. You pushed yourself so hard that your body began to break down. Bones fracturing. Blood vessel rupturing. Muscles tearing. If it wasn't for your regeneration you would be dead, or in a coma. If I hadn't healed you, you wouldn't even be moving."

Glory Girl had fallen silent, and Taylor could feel her stare. Not as strongly as usual, like her powers were muffled, but sometimes it was less power and more a sixth sense.

"What?" Glory asked, her voice quiet. Taylor gritted her teeth. Why did Panacea have to decide that now was the time? Why did she even have to say anything, Taylor was more than capable of making her own decisions. But Glory Girl needed an answer.

"Some powers have limits." She said, reluctantly deciding that she would need to give away some information. And Glory Girl was her friend, right? It couldn't hurt to trust her. Could it? This was the time when some advice from the ancient being sharing her soul would be appreciated.

 **"TRUST IS A HARD THING TO GIVE."**

 _'Yes, I'm sure you would know about that.'_ Taylor returned, an unusual bite in her tone. The Emperor was silent for a long moment.

 **"I WOULD, YES. ARE YOU NOT DETERMINED TO AVOID REPEATING MY MISTAKES?"**

Taylor closed her eyes again.

 _'I'm sorry. That was uncalled for.'_

 **"I KNOW."**

Taylor opened her eyes again, looking up at Panacea and Glory Girl. She didn't speak immediately, instead moving her limbs and slowly pushing herself into a sitting position in the bed: she still hurt, but it was less a searing pain and more of a dull ache. It was already fading.

"Some powers have limits." She repeated, looking at Glory Girl and mentally weaving the mixture of lies and truth that she was about to reveal. Misdirection, that was the key.

"There are all sorts of theories about powers, and the Manton Limit. I've seen theories that the Manton Limit exists to prevent powers from harming their user, so on and so on."

"You aren't Manton limited." Glory Girl said flatly. Taylor gave a small laugh.

"No. No, I'm not. And my powers are not shackled to the level that I usually display. But to go above that limit, to surpass the boundaries of my power…requires a sacrifice. In this case, the sacrifice is linked to the inevitable frailty of the flesh."

Taylor looked up and smiled.

"The backlash is too much. Begins breaking down my body. A price I'm willing to pay."

"A price you're- you could have died! Why are you smiling?" Glory Girl demanded, her voice filled with emotion. Taylor shrugged.

"Everybody dies someday." She said quietly, keeping her voice light. And then her voice hardened a little.

"And besides that, I wasn't going to just run away. If I had, he would have gone after the Undersiders. He would have come after me, he would have come after you. And even more than that, he would have been furious and, with no-one to keep him occupied, who do you think would have suffered? All the people around. No. I wasn't going to allow that."

 _'And besides that, I wasn't going to let Lung think he could get away with what he was doing. He's been able to do whatever he likes for too long now.'_

"And if you had died? What then?" Panacea asked, her voice hard. Taylor turned her gaze to her, her own stare unyielding and uncompromising.

"If I had died, I would have done so for something I believed in. Something I wanted to fight for. Something I felt bound to do. I don't expect you to follow my example, and I don't expect you to approve. But,"

Taylor stopped and sighed, reining herself in and lowering her voice from where it had begun to rise.

"But. I do expect that you will allow me to make my own choices." She finished quietly. Glory Girl and Panacea stared at her in silence, until Glory Girl cleared her throat.

"Nobody is saying that you made the wrong choice." She said, although she sounded a little uncomfortable as she said it.

"But fighting Lung alone isn't really something most people would do."

Taylor carefully swung herself sideways in the bed, planting her feet on the floor. Her bones still ached, but she ignored the pain and slowly stood.

"Most people aren't heroes." She said quietly, ignoring Panacea for the moment. She sighed and looked at Glory.

"Would you have hesitated to fight him if it meant I would get away?"

Glory Girl didn't respond and Taylor shrugged weakly.

"I realise that it isn't quite the same. But I couldn't just run away." She said quietly. She looked down at herself- she was still almost fully dressed, one of the perks of Panacea needing only a little skin contact to heal she supposed. Only missing boots, pullover and her gloves. And her coat. Her poor, poor coat. She had liked that coat.

"Thank you for the rescue, and the healing." She said quietly. Panacea grunted, a non-comital noise.

"You did save my sister." She responded, although Taylor thought she heard an edge to the voice. Jealousy, maybe, or resentment, faint but present. She shrugged it away. It didn't matter. Slowly, Taylor reached a hand up to her face: her balaclava was still in place, battered and scorched though it was. She sighed and turned to Panacea and Glory Girl.

"Do you happen to have the rest of my clothes? Much as I am enjoying your company, I do need to return home at some point. Preferably soon." She said. Glory Girl looked at her, a briefly mutinous expression indicating that she didn't think that the conversation was over, but she merely nodded.

"I'll go grab them for you." She said, walking past Taylor. Taylor switched her gaze to Panacea, who looked far more severe, to the point that a frown creased her expression.

"You're leaving?" she asked. Taylor met her gaze evenly.

"I am, yes. I can't stay out too late, past my bed-time." She responded, aware that her tone was slightly sharp but somehow irritated with Panacea. Probably because she called her out on being reckless. Taylor was just about self-aware enough to recognise that she wasn't a fan of being questioned.

"Oh. Yes, of course. You're just going to deflect me with quips and mocking remarks. Just like you always do to everybody." Panacea said, her gaze not wavering. Taylor narrowed her eyes.

"What are you saying, Panacea?" She said, her tone flat. Panacea kept her frown.

"That you go out and risk yourself without thinking. That you're obsessed with being the hero, to the point that you'll happily put yourself in harms way in order to fulfil some need of yours. That you're a bad example for anyone to follow." Panacea returned. Taylor looked at her grimly.

"You're free to think that, of course. You're free to think the worst of anyone. But it isn't going to make a difference to what I do." She said, very calmly. Panacea nodded.

"Yes. Yes, I can imagine that it won't."

She glanced aside, sighing. Her posture lost some of the hostility, and she looked tired when she looked back.

"I've always known that you're one of them. One of those Parahumans who is delighted to have powers. Who lets themselves be consumed by it, thinks they can make a difference. And I suppose that you have."

There was something rather final in the words, and Taylor shifted slightly, a faint sense of unease in the back of her mind.

"What do you mean, have? I intend to continue making a difference." She said. Panacea sighed, turning away.

"I thought you would say that. Have you ever heard of the Corolla Genma and the Corolla Potentia?"

The sudden conversation change confused Taylor a little. She didn't have anything close to the knowledge of the Emperor when it came to biology, but she knew a fair amount, and she had never heard of anything like that.

 **"THEY ARE UNKNOWN TO ME ALSO."**

"No. I've never heard of them. Nor do I see the relevance." She said cautiously. Panacea still didn't look at her.

"The Corolla Potentia is an organ, located in the brain. There isn't that much known about it, but it appears in many humans. The Corolla Genma, on the other hand, is larger, and appears in every parahuman. There are theories that it's the source of powers."

Taylor blinked at the casual way Panacea disclosed that information, especially as it was useful. She turned her full attention to the conversation.

"I assume there is some relevance to me in this?" she said warily, aware that her powers did not stem from the same source as parahumans. Surely Panacea had not worked that out?

"Yes, there is relevance. You see, when I examine someone I cannot affect the brain. I can see it, for want of a better word, but not affect it."

 _'Lie.'_ Taylor thought dimly, but she ignored the implications for the moment, as Panacea was still talking.

"When I first examined you I noted that your biology was changing slightly, almost as though it was altering you to some template. It was unusual, but I thought nothing of it. And then, as I continued to examine you over the days and weeks, I noticed that not only your body was changing: your mind was altering too. Mainly…your Corolla Genma, already somewhat small compared to others, was shrinking. Almost atrophying."

Taylor felt her mouth dry. Panacea turned.

"You were being afflicted with headaches. But there was nothing I could do but watch. I assumed that your regeneration would fix the problem, but if anything it seems to be getting worse, even as your body moves towards some theoretical model. And today? After you passed out? The atrophy has massively increased. Which means, if theories about powers stemming from the Corolla Genma are correct…"

Taylor turned away, and lifted her hand towards a lamp. She lifted her hand. Just a slight pull. Levitation. Easy, simple. Nothing happened, and a feeling like ice water flooded down her back.

"Your powers have been affected. At the current rate of decay, I estimate that your Genma will have completely atrophied in approximately three months time. I can't be certain, but it would appear that you powers have a time limit."

Taylor let her hand fall, and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Panacea offered quietly. Taylor shook her head slightly.

 _'Emperor.'_

 **"SOMETHING IS WRONG. YOU CANNOT ACCESS YOUR POWERS PROPERLY, THIS SHOULD NOT BE THE CASE. THIS COROLLA GENMA SHOULD NOT HAVE AFFECTED YOU."**

 _'But it has. It has…my powers aren't there any more. And if they are…what if they don't come back? What if they come back and then I lose them for good? What if my powers have a time limit?'_

The Emperor didn't answer. Taylor let her chin fall onto her chest, despair sweeping through her. How could she be a hero without powers?

* * *

Taylor wasn't certain how she got home. Oh, she knew that she got a lift from Glory Girl, carrying her to a neighbourhood relatively close to her home, and then she walked, carefully, avoiding attention, but she did it all on auto-pilot, sunk into a deep pit of despair that consumed her utterly. She looked after herself, still fed herself and made the appropriate small talk with her father, but she barely said a word to The Emperor, and he left her to her silence and misery. And, as though to feed the monster of despair that rested in her soul, the city descended into warfare. Maybe not as bad as PHO had predicted, the Empire and Coil were too cautious for that, but lines were changing and violence was increasing and Taylor simply did nothing.

She sat in her room, sunken in misery and depression, but she could not remain so forever. Even as Taylor moped- _Brooded,_ she corrected herself half-heartedly, brooding was heroic while moping was…sad. Regardless, even as she brooded life went on, she needed food as much as any other and so she couldn't brood for too long

So it was that she found herself making her weary way to a nearby store for food. She walked along more slowly than normal, making herself unobtrusive as she remained sunk in gloom. The store was relatively empty, but as she walked along she noted a small boy, running around with the boundless enthusiasm of a toddler. She blinked as he ran past her, turning her head a fraction to watch, and he slipped. A slide, laughter turning to a cry of alarm, and a heavy thud that brought a faster beat to her heart as he crashed face first into a shelf, heavy cans of food falling and the wail starting even as-

Taylor blinked. The boy slipped. Her hand snapped out, almost of its own accord, and she caught the back of his coat and yanked him backwards, arresting his slide before it could even begin, the wail of surprise dying in his throat.

 _'What the fuck?'_

"You ok kid?" she asked, looking down. The kid blinked up at her, then nodded so enthusiastically that she felt tired just watching him, but somehow the cloud of gloom was lifting, the storm clearing away in the face of rays of light. For the first time in almost three days she felt clear headed, like she could think and act again.

"Yeah! Yeah, thanks Miss!"

Taylor mustered a smile, making sure that the kid was back on his feet before letting him go.

"No problem. Be more careful next time, yeah?" she said, shooing him towards his stressed looking mother with a smile before walking past, deeper into the store

 _'I didn't imagine that, did I?'_ she mentally asked, plucking a loaf of bread from a shelf with the smile still on her features slowly broadening, becoming more real.

 **"YOU DID NOT. THAT WAS SOMETHING NEW."** The Emperor commented. Taylor smiled a little wider.

 _'I thought so. That was foresight. Genuine seeing the future. That's a psyker power, I shouldn't have that. I thought I lost my powers.'_

 **"CAN YOU REPLICATE IT?"**

Taylor closed her eyes a fraction, thinking back. She hadn't really intended to do anything, it had come from nowhere, but she thought back to how she had stepped, the feeling that had briefly pulsed through her the brief vision. She turned, heading through the shop and walked towards the cashier, maybe five seconds worth of movement. She blinked, finding herself looking at the bread again, a slight weariness entering her.

 _'Oh. Oh, it's there. It's back. I can feel it again.'_

 **"YOU CAN USE IT ON COMMAND. EXCELLENT."**

Taylor walked to the cashier and paid, almost in a daze as she realised that her powers had not deserted her at all, for all that her brute strength seemed reduced she was not utterly bereft.

 **"WHAT IS THE SAYING? IF ONE DOOR CLOSES-"**

 _'A window opens? Accurate enough.'_ Taylor replied, her gloom banished by the sudden change, the realisation that she had sunk into despair for no reason. Her sudden lightness of spirit buoying her, she walked home far more briskly than she had, her smile still in place. No longer was there moping and misery, the determination had returned, Circaetus still there, displacing the monster in her heart.

 **"AH. ARE YOU OVER YOUR BURST OF ANGST, THEN?"**

 _'I prefer to think of it as a deep and brooding time of re-consideration. But yeah, I'm over it.'_

 **"GOOD TO HEAR. I WAS WAITING FOR YOU TO PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER AND SPEAK TO ME. IF YOU HAD, I COULD HAVE TOLD YOU MY THEORY ABOUT YOUR POWERS, AND THAT THE LOSS WAS ONLY EVER TEMPORARY."**

 _'You couldn't have just told me?'_ she asked, stepping back into her house.

 **"CONSIDER IT AN OBJECT LESSON IN NOT FALLING TO DESPAIR. THAT IS THE WAY OF THE PLAGUEFATHER."**

 _'Consider that lesson learned. Although, even if I can see the future it was a little tiring, and only gave a few seconds. I can't go out like I did before, can I?'_

 **"NO, I DO NOT BELIEVE SO. HOWEVER, I ASSUME FROM YOUR TONE THAT YOU HAVE A PLAN?"** the Emperor said, the faintest hint of amusement edging his monotone.

 _'Just a small one. Tell me, how hard do you think it would be to make some bootleg armour and weapons? If Kid Win can build himself some laser pistols and go out, I'm pretty sure that we can do a lot better.'_

The Emperor chuckled in her mind as Taylor took the steps to her room three at a time, mind already buzzing with plans and options.

 **"WELCOME BACK, TAYLOR."**

 _'Heh. Time to get to work.'_

* * *

Newly buoyed by her new power, Taylor began testing herself again, reaching into the Immaterium. From what The Emperor theorised she had pushed herself too hard, her…Void Prison, or whatever stupid name it would inevitably be given, had been beyond her reach, drawing too deeply on the Immaterium. Normally, doing so would be fatal, but her Perpetual status and the quick medical care had saved her, and she had merely been crippled. The Emperor compared it to a sprained muscle: she would be unable to use her powers at the level she had possessed, but it would heal with time. That said, testing was required.

 _'So I can levitate tiny things. Still have some telekinesis, and I have the future sight. So, what, something like a low Delta level?'_

 **"BARELY. BUT IT IS NOT ALWAYS POWER THAT MATTERS."**

 _'Easy to say when you've always been beyond the scale. But you've made your point. I guess we'll just have to improvise and adapt. They do say that troubles build character.'_

 **"YOU SHOULD HAVE PLENTY OF CHARACTER, THEN."**

Taylor laughed.

With her plans decided and her basic testing done, she knew that she needed some way to compensate for her weakened powers, aware even at her most optimistic that she would be less than useless if she went out to fight in her current state. And so, with little else to do, she had set to thinking and planning and designing. The notebook in front of her, carefully organised with plans that were, if not impassably encrypted, more than safe from most gangs- English, translated to High Gothic, translated to Eldar, and then encrypted with a code that the Imperium had used around the time of the Horus Heresy. Maybe a Thinker could crack it, but it would take time, at the very least. And the reason those plans were encrypted was simple: they contained the instructions and designs for Imperium weapons and, more importantly, the ubiquitous solar power cell. Ubiquitous it might be in the forty-first Millennium, in the current time it would be an incredible asset, as would the weapons that it could fuel. Dangerous. Very dangerous. Very useful. And not all that hard to make. She just had to decide what to make with it and decide quickly. It had been four days since her fight with Lung, and the city was starting to doubt that she had survived. She needed to nip that speculation in the bud if she wanted to keep her momentum. At least Lung hadn't been seen either.

 _'I wonder why Lung hasn't been seen? You'd expect him to be out with the boys, laying down beatings and showing his power.'_

 **"HE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO. YOU STRUCK HIM WITH A WEAPON THAT, WHILE NOT THE EQUAL OF THE FULGURITE, WAS NOTHING TO BE SCOFFED AT."**

 _'Not the equal of…yeah, it was a bit rushed and bootlegged. It could never have replicated the effect of the Fulgurite.'_ She concluded. The Fulgurite, the true weapon, had a very simple effect. It was, purely, a weapon that allowed the wielder to slay anyone she used it against, provided said target was of equal or lesser metaphysical weight, for want of a better term, to the wielder. In that case Lung should be dead. No regeneration, no medical care, nothing could save him- assuming that the Fulgurite worked. It hadn't exactly been used all that often, and even Vulkan had been rumoured to survive. Then again, Vulkan was a Primarch as well as a Perpetual. Who was to say that even a Perpetual could be considered sufficient to slay him? It was irrelevant. The point was, what she had created was not the Fulgurite. Not even a pale imitation.

 _'So what did I create?'_

 **"SOMETHING QUITE INTERESTING. THE WEAPON YOU USED AGAINST LUNG WAS INFUSED WITH POWER, THE POWER OF THE IMMATERIUM. I HAVE REVIEWED MY MEMORY OF EVENTS, AND I BELIEVE THAT THE WEAPON YOU CREATED IN FACT BECAME IMBUED WITH THE POWER OF THE IMMATERIUM, LEAKING THE VERY ESSENCE OF THAT DIMENSION INTO THE AIR AROUND IT."**

 _'Into the…but I embedded it in Lung. Which means that-'_

 **"EVERY FRAGMENT LEFT IN HIS BODY IS CONTANTLY LEAKING ENTROPIC ENERGY, FUELLED BY HIS VERY FLESH, THE CLOSENESS OF HIS SOUL. LEFT OPEN TO THE AIR THEY WOULD SWIFTLY DECAY THEMSELVES. BUT…"**

 _'Embedded in Lung they are constantly damaging him, forcing his regeneration to constantly work to repair the damage. That's why he isn't fighting, he's still injured!'_

 **"INDEED. WHILE NOT INTENTIONAL, YOU CERTAINLY CREATED A FORMIDABLE WEAPON. CONGRATULATIONS."**

Taylor grinned fiercely. That would be perfect. If she could return to the streets earlier than Lung, she could further cement her reputation. She knew what equipment she wanted, how to make it. She just needed the resources. And fortunately, Bakuda had known of a great many stashes, both personal and ABB. And Taylor had not neglected to tear the locations from her mind.

 _'Let's go hunting.'_

* * *

Taylor leaned her head on her hand, resting her elbow on her knee eying the building opposite her thoughtfully. It was raining again, the raindrops pattering thickly onto the hood of the plastic anorak she had picked up to replace her coat- her poor, poor coat- and she was freezing, crouched in this bloody alleyway in this bloody weather.

Six days. Six days since she had faced down Lung, six days since she had struggled and fought and dug more deeply into her powers than she even thought possible, six days since she had last gone outside with the thought of being a hero. Three until she had found herself not as crippled as she thought, and three more of testing and experimentation and planning. But no more. She couldn't bear to wait any longer, even if she was weaker than she had ever been. Or at least, weaker than her empowered self had ever been. She didn't particularly care to think about herself before her merger with The Emperor.

That said, she would need time to recover, as she had assumed. And given the gang war that was in progress and only seemed to be getting fiercer, that was unfortunate. She had plans and schematics for equipment that would allow her to work again, but for that she needed resources. Resources that weren't easily accessible. Or at least, not safely accessible. A scrapyard might provide them, but she was certain that the gangs and Protectorate would keep a watch on those.

It was a good thing, then, that she had torn the locations of the various stashes that Bakuda and the ABB used to store her gear before reducing the Tinker to a drooling husk.

Hence the alleyway opposite the building.

The ABB- and in particular Bakuda- had left a series of caches around the city, simply as a matter of practicality and logistics- it made them easier to access for spread out gang-members and meant that all of their supplies could not be taken in one swoop. However, with Lung still not showing himself and the Empire Eighty-Eight pushing hard against them, some of those caches had to be abandoned. Which was Taylor's opportunity. There was still one man here, one caretaker: he rarely left the building, and had avoided the notice of the Empire. After all, it was just a small apartment building. Why would it ever matter? Well, it mattered to Taylor, simply because she needed the stuff stored inside. And so she was going to get it.

Unfortunately, she couldn't just batter down the door. She could still pick the lock, but that would require going down to the open street and standing hunched over the door for a while. Not stealthy. A window, however, could be the key. It all depended on the condition of the windows in question, and so Taylor crept across the street and slid into the shadows next to the house. Carefully skirting the building, she reached the back of the house, and smiled as she saw a window, large enough to admit her. It was on the second floor but set above an extension to the building that she could climb. Now she just needed to get to it without being seen. Luckily, her black clothing would blend well into the dark and rainy night, especially as she kept low. She pulled herself up onto the roof of the extension, and shuffled across to the window, grimacing at the miserable weather. It made sneaking easier but was unarguably uncomfortable. The window was closed and locked, but the key had been left in and she smiled.

 _'Easy, easy, easy.'_

Reduced as her powers were, they were not so reduced that she couldn't turn a key. A pressure, a twist and the lock opened. Taylor licked her lips as she focused on turning the handle. It was stiff, harder to turn than she expected, but she was able to draw on enough power to turn it and let the window open.

 _'Maybe not as easy as I was expecting.'_ She mentally admitted, even as she pulled the window open as far as it would go and slithered in, squeezing through the narrow gap and for once glad of her slender and somewhat boyish frame. She landed on her stomach, ears straining for any noise from the man that she knew was in the house with her. There was nothing, and she rose to a crouch, closing her eyes and focusing. Her ability to sense people had been compromised, just as her other powers were, but it was still there. Just harder to use, and with a much lower range. Much, much lower. Before, she could sense everyone in the entire city if she tried. Now, she could manage less than a city block. That said, it wasn't a huge blow. Being able to sense the entire city wasn't exactly useful when it took almost half a minute to make a connection strong enough to identify someone by their mind. In a city with hundreds of thousands of people, searching for a single person was like looking for a needle in a stack of other, moving needles. The metaphor had gotten away from her, but the point was it was most useful for something like this. Making sure she knew where people were when she was sneaking around.

 _'And there he is'_ she thought, narrowing her field to the house and locating the single person there. Now all she had to do was knock him out without him raising an alarm. Good times.

Taylor crept down the stairs, carefully placing her feet and staying as quiet as possible. The ABB member was standing with his back to her, in the kitchen, and she crept closer. Just as she was about to strike he turned, some instinct warning him. His mouth opened, hand snapping towards his belt, and she struck. Her hand lashed out, a brutally hard backhanded blow with a clenched fist that carried the full weight of her body and sent him staggering, whatever cry might be coming from his mouth suddenly cut off. She lunged forwards, her fist hammering into his side an instant before she grabbed his head and slammed his forehead into a worktop, the hard blow leaving him utterly stunned as she rammed a heel into the back of his knee. He fell to one knee, and Taylor locked an arm under his chin, around his throat, squeezing and pulling back, ignoring his struggles, the kicking wasted on empty air and the clawing having no effect on her clothed arm. She held the choke until the man went limp, and then carefully let go and lowered him to the ground, absently checking his pulse and confirming that it was there.

 _'Well, that was refreshing.'_ She commented, straightening her jacket as she stood back to her full height and looked around, making sure that she hadn't been seen. There was a window in the kitchen itself, but it looked out onto a dark alley, no risk from there. Good. Now all she needed to do was take what she needed and get back to her new workshop.

It didn't take her long to find what she wanted. Bakuda had kept a veritable trove in one of the bedrooms, and Taylor was easily able to find the keys in the pocket of the ABB guard. She checked he was still unconscious, looted his pockets and returned to the first floor, unlocking the door and grinning as she walked in. All the things she would ever need for her building- well, not basic resources like steel and wood and so on, but that wouldn't be too hard to find. She filled a rucksack and a pair of duffel bags that she found in the house and strolled back down the stairs, her loot balanced easily on her shoulders. She used the front door to leave. There was no reason not to, after all.

Taylor had, initially, thought that the Boat Graveyard would be a good place for a workshop. However, she had then thought about it, and quickly realised that the Boat Graveyard was a hilariously poor place to hide something important. Exposed, public, almost certainly under surveillance…anything she put there would probably be stolen in record time. Which meant that she needed to find somewhere more private, more secure and, preferably, closer to home. It was extremely fortunate that the economic situation of Brockton Bay was so dire: it meant that there were plenty of abandoned houses around. And there was one at the end of her street, complete with basement. Cellar? Basement.

Regardless, she had made sure to break into the house, ensure that the place was empty and sufficiently uninviting for any squatters, and then made her way into the basement. It was fairly large, concrete walls and floor, and just perfect for her needs once she cleared out the detritus of a family that had been left in there when it was abandoned, replacing the mess with a sofa and table that she scavenged from the house and placed next to the walls, leaving plenty of space in the middle of the basement. There was even an entrance outside of the house that she was able to disguise. It was to this basement that she went with her loot, moving in the shadows and creeping in. Once there she dumped her bags, dropping the duffle bags by the sofa and emptying the rucksack onto the table. This contained the pieces she would need for her first and arguably most important project: a power cell. The ubiquitous Imperium solar cell was the result of hundreds if not thousands of years of progress, an honest to goodness miracle of science. It was lightweight. It held a charge good enough for hundreds of las-weapon shots after just a few hours in the sun. It could, in a pinch, be used as a grenade. And, most importantly, it could be created by any society that had made it to the Industrial era.

 _'Low tech and high usage. Whoever came up with this design was a genius.'_ Taylor remarked. She sensed The Emperor agree.

 **"TREMENDOUSLY VALUABLE IN THIS AGE. ALTHOUGH, IF YOU WANT TO POWER ANYTHING LARGER THAN A LASRIFLE IT MIGHT NOT SUFFICE."**

 _'We might be able to up-scale it enough to power some rudimentary armour. For a brief while, at least, something like a Hellfire rifle power pack. But actual powered armour…that will need real microfusion generators. Those are probably out of reach at the moment- I don't think I can achieve cold fusion in a basement.'_

 **"PROBABLY NOT, NO."**

 _'Don't suppose it matters. I'm just going for some basic armour, carapace style. I wonder if I can patent the power cells? It'd be nice to be rich.'_

Even as Taylor held her conversation with The Emperor she sorted through the mess of components on the table, carefully plucking out pieces that she needed and inspecting them with a critical eye. The power cell that she was going to build would probably not be of the highest quality, the components themselves were not perfect, but it would be more than adequate as a power source. And with a power source she could build machines, machines that she could use to build more tools. Which she could then use to build better equipment. Which she could then- well, it would allow her to build her equipment base. That was enough to say.

 **"IF YOU ARE BUILDING ARMOUR, ESPECIALLY CARAPACE OR FLAK ARMOUR, IT MIGHT BE A GOOD IDEA TO INVESTIGATE IF YOU HAVE THE POWER TO CRAFT AND EMPOWER RUNES. A SET OF FLAK AROUR THAT IS REINFORCED WITH THE PROPER RUNES CAN BE HUGELY BOOSTED IN EFFICACY."** The Emperor suggested. Taylor paused, her hands hovering briefly in the air as she considered.

 _'Yes. I hadn't thought of that, but it's a good idea. I'll try once I have this cell built.'_

That said, Taylor turned her attention back to the cell. It might take a while to build one of these by hand, but the payoff would certainly be worth it.

Once the power cell was finished -well, power _cells_ , she knew she would need more than one and she had been able to find enough components to build three- Taylor carefully made her way back into the house itself, finding a window that was in full sunlight and leaving the cells there, carefully hidden from view while still able to charge. Well, it wouldn't charge at the moment, it was dark, but once the sun came up it would charge. And she supposed that there would be some charging from the moonlight, but it would be minimal at best. Still, she could only wait. That done, she returned to the basement, considering. Her plan for building her armour was simple: first, she needed the raw materials. She had plans already, for a converter that could take raw materials- brick, iron, plastic whatever, and convert it into sheets of ceramite or plasteel…but, unfortunately, that particular set of plans was more of a factory than a printer. And she did not have access to a factory. She needed a furnace, she needed a press, she needed a bloody city-sized industrial base to get it to work.

Taylor was beginning to wonder if it was too late to simply declare herself Empress of All Mankind and take over the world. Unhappily, she suspected that it would be rather harder for her to manage than it had been for the Emperor. After all, Earth still had functioning governments.

 **"YOU COULD USE A RUNE OF FIRE TO ACT AS A FURNACE, PERHAPS."** The Emperor suggested.

 _'You think that would work?'_

 **"NOT AS EFFECTIVELY. BUT BETTER THAN ANY OTHER CHOICE."**

 _'Well that's true. What about making the plasteel and ceramite into plates? A mould?'_

 **"THAT WOULD BE MY CHOICE."**

 _'I still don't know if I can actually empower runes.'_

 **"YOU HAD BEST TEST IT, THEN."**

Taylor cast about herself, eventually slipping up into the house to look. Once in the house she found a piece of wood- a plank, broken part way down and abandoned. She carried it back down into the cellar, snapping it in half over her knee and laying it onto the table. One half she ignored, putting it to one side, while she pulled a knife from her pocket and began to work on the other one, carving runes of strengthening from memory.

 _'Can you let me work on this alone?'_ she asked. The Emperor stirred.

 **"IF YOU WISH. WHY, THOUGH?"**

Taylor sighed.

 _'Because I want to know that I can do it myself._ _That I don't need your help, that even if you left I would be able to manage.'_

The Emperor said nothing, but she felt his agreement as she resumed work. It took a while, but she had nothing else to do and the carving was soothing, in a way. Once finished she checked her watch, blinking as she saw that it was almost midnight, although she didn't feel tired. An advantage of needing gradually less sleep- she was down to four hours a night being enough now. She did still like to sleep though, so she would test her runes and then leave it for the night. Taylor stood, taking each half of the plank in one hand. The testing was going to be easy. She let the rune-carved stick rest next to the table, while she gripped the other in both hands and swung at the wall with all her strength.

The stick shattered. Wood fragments flew, Taylor ducking a few pieces.

 _'Well, that was expected. Now to try the other.'_

She had considered attempting to break the wood over her knee, but a moment of thought brought up the obvious problem with that- if it had worked, and the wood was unnaturally hardened, it would hurt. The wall had no such problems. Taylor licked her lips, hoping that she had gotten it right as she gripped the rune-carved stick in both hands. She eyed the scrape of wood left on the wall from the other stick and swung. The wood crashed into the concrete with a dull thud, staying intact in her hand. Heart suddenly beating faster, Taylor turned it towards her. Intact. Undamaged. She turned back, knowing better than two assume. Another blow. Two, three and Taylor barely repressed an urge to whoop aloud as the wood held up, a mere dent flattening the end the only signs of the heavy concrete. She spun the wood in her hand, her grin flattening to a smile that was almost predatory.

 _Well, I'd say that worked. Maybe that rune idea isn't so crazy after all.'_

The rune idea was not crazy as all. It had taken three more days, a lot of cursing, significant trial and error and two entire repeats of her rune work, but she had managed it. She had built a rune powered forge, she had collected the necessary ingredients, she had built herself a mould and now she was waiting, just waiting for her prototype breastplate to set. She had moulded the plates, filed them down, made the glue that would hold them together- she had done that in the house, the glue smelled horrible- and now she waited for the glue to dry. Then, she could test her fully made breastplate. If it worked she could move on to her second version. If it didn't back to the drawing board. As she waited she worked upon another piece of her armour, a weapon this time- her powers hadn't miraculously returned over three days, so she had taken apart a couple of tasers and was building a crude pseudo-power fist. The Mechanicum would have been outraged by the crudity and inherent sacrilege of it. The thought made her smile.

 _'I'll have to test this as well. I can test them both at the same time, at least.'_

 **"THE GAUNTLET SHOULD WORK. THE ONLY PROBLEM MIGHT BE THE POWER CELLS, IF THEY'RE PUSHED TOO HARD."**

 _'Which is why I want to test it. Having the power pack explode the first time I push the glove to it's limits would be bad.'_

 **"WELL, THAT'S TRUE."**

Taylor was fairly sure that she had managed to alter the cells enough that a failure would be much less explosive, only having the force of one overloaded cell. However, with solar cells that was the difference between enough explosive force to destroy a tank and a hand grenade, and Taylor wasn't overly eager to strap it to her back and go out. Testing was needed.

The small alarm clock she had scavenged and repaired pinged. Taylor stood, slinging her glove and power pack into a rucksack.

 _'Just in time. I was starting to get bored.'_

* * *

Three days ago, Taylor had come to the conclusion that the Boat Graveyard was an awful place for a lair or workshop. She still stuck to that assessment, but it had merits in one way: it would be an excellent place to test her equipment. All she had to do was find a nice, out of the way boat that was in decent condition. There was no shortage of those.

Taylor set herself up in the hold of a fairly small cargo ship, tilted over and half flooded. She checked that there was nobody nearby, straining her powers to cover the whole graveyard. There were plenty of people in the graveyard itself, but none nearby. That didn't discount cameras, but at least it meant that she was unlikely to be attacked. That done, she unloaded her glove and the roughly shaped breastplate that she had made, hanging the plate on the wall and leaving the glove and pack on the floor. Taylor had three tests planned for the breastplate: the first would be the gun that she had taken off a gang member, so many weeks ago. A nine millimetre pistol. Something reasonably common among the gangs. Well, more common than other guns. Most gang members just used baseball bats or pipes or whatever. Still…Taylor took several paces away from the breastplate and the wall. She fired every bullet in the gun, wincing slightly at each booming shot. Once she was done she laid the gun down and walked back across to the plate.

 _'Moment of truth.'_

If the plate hadn't held up, it would be back to the drawing board for her armour. She leaned down and picked up the plate, her eyes searching across it. A smile broke across her face, and she turned the plate over and smacked the back of it. Metal jingled as the flattened bullets fell out, and she pressed a finger into the holes left behind.

 _'One layer pierced. Barely even anything.'_

 **"IT WOULD STILL HURT IF YOU WERE WEARING IT."**

 _'Hurt but not dead. I'd call that a success. Test two, then.'_

The second test, melee. Most gang members- and most capes, come to think of it- preferred to attack with a close weapon. A bat, a lead pipe, a crowbar, whatever. Taylor walked across, her step buoyed by the first success of her armour and swept a crowbar into her fingers. She turned on her heel, a spinning motion a moment before she crossed the space in a springing leap and brought the crowbar down as hard as she could.

In hindsight, that might have been a mistake.

The crowbar was old and rusty, and the impact was far too much for it. Taylor yelped and jerked back as it broke, splinters of metal flying towards her. She threw the broken end of the crowbar away, growling under her breath, but her smile returned as she looked at the breastplate again. There was a dent in the middle, just where she had struck, but the plate was intact. Damaged, but whole. Her prototype was a success, and now that she had proof that it worked she could repeat the process to make a better version. It wouldn't even take as long. Now to test the power glove and get out of here.

The glove itself was a bare-bone thing, more a frame than anything else, but it sat comfortably over her hand. In her eventual design she intended to run the power cord under her gauntlet and vambrace, up her arm to the shoulder and down her back, to the flat power pack. In this early, testing design she ran the cord to the power pack, but placed the pack away from her, just in case.

 _'Alright. Lowest setting, test.'_

At the lowest setting the glove was barely a weapon. It would deliver a stinging shock, but nothing more. Still, best to test low and increase as she went. She balled her hand into a fist and lightly struck the wall, eliciting a deep buzz from the glove.

 _'Success?'_

 **"HARD TO TELL WITHOUT A TARGET. BUT I THINK IT WAS, YES."**

 _'Alright. Time to go to the next level.'_

The levels of the glove were controlled by a dial, just by her wrist. Taylor had initially assumed that she would have to control it by hand, but she had come to the conclusion that she might be able to use her much-weakened telekinesis for it. Usually she used hand gestures to aid her, but there was no actual reason to. It was just habit. Frowning, she tilted her arm until she could see the dial and concentrated.

The dial turned. This time, Taylor did whoop, although she immediately clamped a hand over her mouth in mortified embarrassment.

 _'Oops.'_

The Emperor was laughing, the dick, but she ignored him. It was a success. She was allowed to be thrilled by things like that. She flexed her hand, ignoring the Emperor, and struck the wall again. The hit this time was far more noticeable, a sparking line of electricity flicking over the metal in a sudden, flashing display.

 _'That was even better. Definitely a knockout blow. At least, a knockout blow.'_

Taylor looked at the glove again and twisted the dial as far as it would go, her eyes widening as the glove began to hum, a field of translucent energy forming around the gauntlet alongside vibrations that she could feel in the very bones. She glanced at the breastplate and nodded to herself. One last test.

She swung.

Her fist went through the breastplate and tore into the wall with a thunderous boom. Taylor jerked back, swearing loudly as the steel of the ship simply blew apart, torn savagely asunder by the field of energy.

 _'Oh.'_ She said, numbly.

 **"DID YOU FORGET THAT A POWER FIST IS AN ANTI-TANK WEAPON?"** The Emperor asked, sounding somewhere between baffled and concerned. Taylor shook her head, a smile starting to crawl across her features.

 _'Oh. Oh, no, I didn't. Just wasn't sure that I could do that with this version. Heh. Looks like I'm back to heavy hitting, baby.'_

Taylor imagined Hookwolf or Lung being on the receiving end of a blow like that, and her smile grew. Even if she had to leave in a hurry thanks to the lightshow that last blow had put on, she could consider this test a stunning success.

* * *

The time had come. The gang war was still in progress, Lung still in hiding, she couldn't wait any longer. She was prepared as much as she could be and she needed to return. She was still in contact with Glory Girl. The member of New Wave was patrolling as much as possible, but with the numbers that the gangs had New Wave and the Protectorate were overwhelmed. Taylor wasn't quite so vain as to think that she could end the fighting single-handedly, but she could make a difference. And so she would.

Taylor carefully armoured herself, not rushing. This, the first version of her flak armour- after the prototype that she had destroyed with her power gauntlet- was relatively simple and low in protection, but it would certainly help. The breast and backplate, layered ceramite and armaplas and moulded to a flat form, covering her from shoulder to waist, every plate painstakingly engraved with runes of protection to make them far more effective as armour. The plates were held together by a buckled strap on each shoulder, one under the armpit and one just above the waist, allowing her to adjust it to be secure and comfortable. She took her time doing so before moving on. The greaves were next, two overlapping plates that Ran from ankle to just below the knee, a moulded kneeguard omitted in this variation in order to allow faster manufacture. She would have one in her second version. And the last, her vambraces, a single curved plate that covered the outside and sides of her forearms, an extension covering her hand to the fingers. Held by straps again, they left her underarm open but that was less concerning. The armoured gloves completed the ensemble, both hands somewhat bulky to accommodate the power gauntlets, the power wires from them running up her arms and down the back of her chest carapace, eventually meeting a solar battery built into her small backpack, itself also armoured. It was a little heavy, but nothing too severe.

She swung her coat on over all of it, a new garment that she had picked up from a small store in the city. Similar to her old coat, it fell to her knees and would have a double row of buttons should she close it. She didn't, leaving the carefully painted eagle on the breastplate showing. The high collar of the coat was drawn up around her face.

And speaking of her face…Taylor looked thoughtfully at the helmet she had crafted. Blank, almost knightly in form, it held a subtle intimidation. Taylor picked it up and carefully settled it over her face, turning her head and rolling her neck to ensure it wasn't too restrictive. It was sufficient, she concluded as she reached back, under her coat, and pulled her hood up. The hood was still fastened to the jumper she wore under her armour, but she might remove it. Something to decide in time: she had work to do. She might look very different to before, but Circaetus had returned. Time to get back to making her mark.

The first thing Taylor did after leaving her house was begin moving, heading towards the area of the city where she knew Glory Girl was currently patrolling. She was entirely capable of looking after herself still, but she would prefer to have some backup now that her powers were so limited: Glory was patrolling the Merchant edge of the Empire territory anyway, she would probably be glad to have company. Taylor would be pleased to help, especially if it meant getting to beat on Empire goons and-slash-or Capes. Everybody won. Except the Empire and Merchants. They didn't matter anyway.

It was a long walk, though. Taylor was missing her ability to float now. Maybe she could build a jetpack or something? There wasn't any promethium to fuel it here, but she might be able to synthesise something. If…she had a factory and a fully stocked laboratory. Alright. She needed to find a way to make money. People would buy her solar cells, right? Maybe she should look into that. But before that, she had a patrol to run and, hopefully, criminals to beat up. Hand to hand, too, no powers…which might be a problem. She might have to be a bit more careful than usual.

 **"CAUTION? THAT WILL BE A FIRST."**

 _'Oh, very funny. Although…you aren't wrong. I was just going in head first, wasn't I? Looking back, I've been kind of reckless.'_

 **"KIND OF SEEMS LIKE A BIT OF AN UNDERSTATEMENT."**

 _'Well, you aren't wrong I suppose. Odd…why do I suddenly feel more cautious? I know my powers are different now, but could they really have affected me?'_

There was a long pause, thick with concern.

 **"I WOULD NOT HAVE THOUGHT SO."** The Emperor eventually said, although there was a hint of something in the voice that was becoming steadily less monotone, some uncertainty.

 **"I NEVER BECAME AWARE OF SUCH A THING. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT MERELY HAVING PSYKER POWERS IS ENOUGH TO CHANGE A PERSONS PERSONALITY."**

 _'And yet, only three of the known human psykers of A-class and above are- or were, I suppose- sane.'_

 **"BUT YOUR POWERS ARE THE SAME AS MINE, YOU HAVE NOT DEMONSTRATED THE INSANITY OF THE OTHERS AND THE IMMATERIUM IS STILL PLACID. THE WARP DROVE POWERFUL HUMAN PSYKERS MAD, NOT THE POWERS THEMSELVES. NO, IT MUST BE SOMETHING ELSE."**

 _'Like a power trip from being able to fling cars around and flatten buildings if it really came to it?'_

 **"I SUPPOSE SO. PERHAPS, YES. AND YOU ONLY NOTICED IT AFTER LOSING MOST OF THOSE POWERS, EVEN IF ONLY TEMPORARILY."**

 _'You don't sound entirely convinced.'_

 **"AS A SOLUTION IT IS ELEGANT, BUT PERHAPS TOO ELEGANT. THE ONLY THING WE CAN DO IS ATTEMPT TO KEEP TRACK OF IT, HOWEVER, AND ENSURE THAT WE DO NOT SLIP BACK INTO THAT ARROGANCE."**

 _'Easier said than done. Maybe we should see a therapist or something.'_

Taylor shook herself. She could mope and re-examine her life later. And quite besides that, she was getting into actively contested gang territory. Getting distracted here was not a good idea.

Taylor wasn't certain how active this area was in terms of crime and violence. It was on the border between two gangs, yes, but even then she doubted there would be many open battles in the streets. After all, if they caused too much trouble the greater Protectorate would surely do something. Even if the Protectorate seemed oddly reluctant to commit more resources to Brockton Bay, there was presumably a limit to that tolerance. Still, this _was_ on the border between the Merchants and the Empire, so she probably had a good chance of finding some action. Maybe she should just wander down the streets and hope that she was lucky? She couldn't exactly go roof-hopping like she had before.

"You know, if you're trying to make that look work you need to be a lot more decisive."

Taylor smiled underneath her helmet, slowly turning.

"Decisive?"

"Yeah. Y'know, committed. Walking with conviction and stuff. You look like you've no idea where you're going."

"Really? Well, that's a disappointment. I'd hoped that I wasn't all that different."

Taylor turned and tilted her head up, looking at the white-clad figure hovering just above her.

"Do you really think I look that different, Glory?"

Glory Girl shifted in mid-air, as though taken aback.

"Glory? Wait, that's- holy crap. Circ?"

The heroine descended rapidly, drawing closer. Taylor spread her hands in a cheery gesture.

"Yep. You like the new look?"

Glory Girl landed in front of Taylor, one hand flicking out and poking her breastplate.

"Lookin' good, Circ. You sure you should be out here though, even with that gear?"

Taylor snorted.

"Glory. Please. You think I'm gonna say no? I'm here. I'm back. And I'm even wearing black."

Glory Girl laughed, briefly leaving the ground again.

"Nice to see your sense of humour hasn't changed. It's good to have you back."

Taylor laughed quietly.

"It's only been a week, Glory."

"Well, yeah, but it's been a long week. So, we done with the mushy reunion? 'Cause fun as it is, there are bad guys somewhere. You want to go beat them up?"

"Glory. Glory, Glory, Glory. I thought you'd never ask."

"So we got Merchants, with Mush as muscle, and Empire, with no capes. How do you want to handle this, Circ?"

Glory Girl was speaking quietly, as they crouched on a rooftop and surveyed the standoff. Taylor eyed the two groups and the layout of the street thoughtfully.

"Well," she said, her voice also quiet but considering, "It'd be best if we can take them down quickly and quietly. I can't hit as hard as before, but I can still take any of them down. I'm thinking that if you can get their attention, I can slide down and drop the Empire goons. Then we can stand off the Merchants or take them down, whatever they decide."

"Sounds good." Glory muttered, before lifting off, flying overhead until she was opposite Taylor. Taylor herself turned, sliding down the side of the building by utilising a drainpipe as an impromptu pole. She hid herself in the alleyway and signalled to Glory that she was ready. The New Wave heroine promptly dropped from the sky, landing with a thump.

"Well, well, well. Whatever is going on here?"

It wasn't exactly subtle, but a subtle distraction was probably something of an oxymoron. Taylor left the alleyway, creeping up behind the Empire goons as they turned and stared at Glory. Six Empire, five Merchants, including Mush. A small skirmish, shouldn't be too hard to break up. Hopefully.

Taylor let her power turn the dials on her gauntlets, moving them to the point that they would deliver something like a taser worth of electricity. That would be more than enough for the goons. She might need to turn it up for Mush, but she would deal with that when the time came.

She moved quietly and quickly, lining up her targets from behind. This would be quick, very quick. She stepped forwards, crossing the distance in three swift strides. The two goons on the leftmost side were first, a single blow to each of them sending them spasming down. A turn, a strike, that was three. A step. Her hand came down on the shoulder of the fourth, her other fist driving into the fifth. She threw the man she was holding away, turned, hand came up. Caught the punch, held it for a moment as the man jerked and jolted before letting go and dropping him.

She turned to the Merchants.

"Hey."

The Merchants stared, in shock and slowly dawning horror. Taylor raised an eyebrow behind her mask. She didn't usually get this kind of reaction.

"Y'know, you can run if you want to. I can't really be bothered to chase a bunch of low-lives." She said, throwing in the last as a little taunt. Maybe it would make them attack. Maybe they would run. Didn't really matter. Mush raised a hand, pointing at her.

"Y-you!"

He was actually stuttering. How amusing. Taylor spread her hands, attempting to look magnanimous.

"Me, yes. What of it?"

"You- you're supposed to be dead!"

"Am I?" she inquired, looking down at herself. She shrugged.

"Well, I can tell you- and believe me, I've been waiting a long time to use this line- rumours of my death are greatly exaggerated."

Taylor could feel the incredulity from the Merchants before her, as well as the fear from the goons and the swelling anger from Mush. At least she was close enough for her passive emotion reading to be active. It was straining to activate it now. Of course, the last time she had tangled with Mush Skidmark had been present and they had shown a surprising amount of tactical thought. She wondered if Mush had contributed anything, or if it was all Skidmark.

Mush roared in anger and charged, one fist drawing back. Clearly Skidmark was the brains- in as much as the Merchants had brains. Taylor stepped forward, tilting her head and swinging her body under the massive arm, slamming her own fists into Mush in two rapid blows before darting away. She had hoped that the electricity would surge through him and knock him out, but his golem must mostly be made of non-conductive materials and the charge dispersed. Still gave him a nasty shock though, if his yelping shout was anything to go by. He kept swinging, blind savagery in place of skill, and Taylor ducked away, stepping away from him.

"Glory!" she shouted. A moment later Glory Girl descended from her position, crashing into Mush and knocking him away. Taylor herself turned to the Merchant thugs, but they were already running. She ignored them, spinning back to the brawl in progress. Glory clearly had the upper hand, but it would be faster if Taylor helped. She spun her gauntlets to a higher setting and was about to leap in when her caution returned.

 _'Rash. Again.'_

No time to berate herself, though. She couldn't jump in with her gauntlets on such a high setting, they were at a level suitable for anti-tank work. Mush would be reduced to…well, mush. But she had to do something. Just something a little less extreme.

Taylor narrowed her eyes, looking at the way Mush was swinging. It was wild, undisciplined, sloppy. There would be an opportunity, she just needed to-

She saw her chance.

She kicked off, sprinting forwards. She might only get one chance at this, but one chance was all she needed. She leapt, hands reaching as Mush staggered back from Glory Girl, driving her hands deep into his messy, disgusting armour. Her gauntlets closed onto flesh, and Mush jolted with a howl as electricity surged through him. Taylor grinned savagely, her insulated armour and clothing protecting her. In theory, she should now bring her legs up, kick off Mush into a backflip and land agilely on her feet.

Fully aware that she would probably smack into a wall or fumble the landing, Taylor shoved herself away with her hands and hopped out of the way as Mush collapsed, his garbage armour flaking away. Taylor intended to finish off her win by nonchalantly brushing her gloves off and a smart remark, but she made the mistake of looking at her hands.

"Well, that was…oh. Ew. Oh, this is disgusting." Taylor whined shaking her hands in disgust. Bits of dirt, rotting fruit and vegetable skins, all sorts of refuse that she honestly didn't want to consider. Taylor shook her hands away from her, hastily trying to clean off her gloves and the sleeves of her coat. Her coat had better not be ruined.

 **"HOW IS IT THAT YOU ARE WILLING TO RAM YOUR FIST THROUGH ONI LEE OR LUNG, BUT QUAIL AT THE SIGHT OF SOME ROTTEN FRUIT?"** The Emperor inquired mildly. Taylor finally managed to suppress her reflexive shuddering.

 _'I'm just quirky like that.'_

 **"I WASN'T AWARE THAT QUIRKY HAD BECOME SYNONYMOUS WITH INSANE."**

 _'Oh, very witty. You spend long thinking that up?'_

 **"ENVY DOES NOT BECOME YOU, TAYLOR."**

 _'Hmph.'_

Taylor finished brushing off her hands, looking up to see that Glory Girl had already dragged Mush away from the remains of his armour and was leaning him against the wall.

"Why aren't you stained as well?" Taylor asked, mildly dismayed by it. Glory Girl gave her a dazzling smile.

"Part of my powers!" she responded cheerily. Taylor sighed.

"Some people get all the luck."

"You mean the people that get amazing telekinetic powers, got a dozen rounds with one of the most feared villains in the city and then come back with what looks a whole lot like a Tinker ability?"

"Touché."

Glory Girl reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone as Taylor stepped across the open space and leaned down to check on Mush. He was fine, as she had thought, shocked into unconsciousness but not really hurt. A good thing too. Her gauntlets were basically a taser at low settings, but sometimes even tasers could kill. A weak heart could easily give way.

"Protectorate are on their way. They shouldn't be too long." Glory Girl reported, tucking her phone away and turning back to Taylor. Taylor nodded silently, turning her gloves to their lowest possible setting with a twist of her mind and leaning against the wall. She closed her eyes, pressing her powers out around her until the faint edge of a headache tingled in her skull, testing the limits of her senses.

About two blocks. Better than it had been, but not much. Powers that were more passive were coming back faster than her telekinesis or anything else big, though. That was interesting.

Taylor opened her eyes again as Glory Girl drew closer.

"So, what's with the new armour?" she asked. Taylor offered her a shrug.

"I thought it was better than trying to block knives and bullets with my bones." She offered dryly, getting a laugh from Glory.

"I like it. Kinda knightly, I guess? Or the helmet, anyway. The rest is kinda PRT or SWAT team."

"You think so? I guess that's not too bad. So long as I don't look ridiculous."

"Oh, yeah. That's definitely the most important part of any costume." Glory said, smiling. Taylor chuckled softly, smiling behind her helmet as she leaned back and made small talk, passing the time with her friend until the Protectorate arrived.

Taylor was pleased to see that the Protectorate response team was both quick to arrive and composed of heroes who were, at least in her opinion, sympathetic to her. The white clad hero Assault gave her a nod and a wave before bending to restrain and check Mush, while the other came towards her. Tall and clad in vaguely Greek looking armour, Dauntless raised a hand as he approached with boots clicking on the ground.

"Glory Girl."

A brief pause as he looked at Taylor, quite clearly assessing her new armour.

"Circaetus. Nice helmet."

Taylor found herself caught between a laugh and a sigh.

"Is this going to become a common thing?" she asked dourly. Glory glanced at her and shrugged.

"Maybe. Are you going to keep the helmet? It's a bit of a change from the whole hood and scarf thing you had going on before."

"I…I guess. But it's a lot more protective." Taylor protested mildly. Plus- although she didn't mention this out loud- it was a lot easier to build additions into a helmet. Targeting devices, communicators, scanners, whatever she could think of, it was a much easier base to work with than a visor. Or a monocle. Or a pair of spectacles. But she didn't say it out loud. She thought Dauntless might be on her side- such as it was- but better to downplay her abilities. She didn't really want anybody thinking she was the next coming of Dragon or something. Not until she had enough tech built to put down anyone who might get uppity.

Was it still paranoia if they really were out to get you?

"It definitely is more protective." Dauntless said cheerfully.

"Maybe a little bit faceless stormtrooper, with the whole entire face covering thing, but I can appreciate a good helmet."

Taylor considered that before shrugging.

"I can deal with that if it means I'm safe from getting a mouthful of shrapnel." She decided. Dauntless laughed.

"How optimistic." He said, clearly amused. Taylor waved her hand airily.

"So, are you just here to admire my new armour? Or is there another reason that you came to talk to us?"

Dauntless clicked his tongue and leaned against a wall.

"Well, I wanted to get the full story of what happened with Mush. You mind telling me?"

Taylor exchanged a glance with Glory Girl and shrugged. It didn't really take long to recount what had happened, and when it was done Dauntless let out a soft whistle.

"First day back and you take down a Merchant, Circaetus? Are you trying to make enemies of every gang in Brockton?"

Taylor squirmed inwardly but forced herself to answer nonchalantly.

"Well, supposedly you can judge a person by the quality of their enemies. I thought that maybe quantity would be good enough."

There was something suspicious in the way Dauntless eyed her, but then he laughed again, clearly deciding to wave it off. Taylor relaxed a fraction.

"Good to see that you've got ambition." He said. He gave a brief glance around before speaking again, lowering his voice.

"Honestly, I wanted to speak to you, see if you were ok. I know you did a hell of a lot better against Lung than anyone expected, but you took a hell of a beating."

Taylor didn't say anything for a moment, a brief effort of will containing the hitch in her breath as she remembered the awful, awful moment her powers had failed her and the dreary days afterwards. She suspected it would haunt her for a while. But that didn't matter.

"I'm…yeah, I'm fine. It wasn't the smartest move I've ever made, but I was never going to do anything different." She admitted quietly. Dauntless gave her a brief nod. When next he spoke, his voice was almost hesitant.

"We- the Protectorate, I mean…I shouldn't really be saying this, but feelings are split. None of us thing what you did was wrong- God knows that Lung needed to be taken down a peg or two- but some people think you were reckless. Dangerous. They're worried about what you did before, with Oni Lee and the Empire."

Taylor didn't move, her mask staying level. If they were unmasked, they would be locking eyes, but this poor facsimile would have to do.

"Do you think I'm dangerous? Like Shadow Stalker?" she asked carefully. The answer, this answer, was very important. Gravely important. Because if he said yes, what would she do? She would be damned before she joined the Protectorate, before she submitted herself to the dictates of lesser- of bureaucrats. Of paper pushers who would drown her power and her hopes in a tide of public relation and stifling safety.

Dauntless answered eventually.

"No. I don't. I think you got angry, and I think that happens to everyone sometimes. Just keep it under control. And- be careful, Circaetus. You've hurt the ABB badly. There are plenty of scavengers around who might take advantage of that. The Teeth, for example? After all, they were born here."

Taylor narrowed her eyes but made the effort to stay light hearted.

"Teethed, you could almost say?"

Another hearty laugh and then Dauntless was saying goodbye and walking towards Assault. Taylor turned towards Glory, who was looking thoughtful.

"Well, that was something. Want to continue the patrol?" she asked. Glory blinked, apparently snapped from her thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Yeah, sure. Come on- you want a lift?"

The rest of patrol was uneventful, but Taylor's mind whirled the whole way through.

* * *

Research. Taylor hated research. Primarily, yes, because her computer was old and her internet connection dire, but still. It was unpleasant. And reading about the Teeth and their leader was even more unpleasant.

 _'The Butcher. Cape villain who is reborn every time they are killed…into their killer. With every power any Butcher ever possessed- though admittedly watered down.'_

 **"A FEARSOME FOE. MORE THAN FEARSOME. IT REMINDS ME SOMEWHAT OF…THE CHAOS CHAMPION, LUCIUS."**

Taylor received enough transferred memory to identify Lucius the Eternal and his powers and shuddered. She could quite happily have gone without that.

 _'The similarity is alarming. But what can we do about it?'_

 **"I AM UNSURE. IF THE BUTCHER REQUIRES SOME FORM OF MENTAL BATTLE, I HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT WE COULD CRUSH THE SHADES OF IT AND OURGE IT FROM EXISTENCE. BUT IF NOT THEN…I DO NOT KNOW."**

 _'And besides, there's the other mechanics of it. It must transfer through the parasite shards somehow if it only affects Parahumans. But we aren't a parahuman, not really. Are we?'_

 **"I DON'T BELIEVE WE ARE A PARAHUMAN, TECHNICALLY. BUT THE SHARD THAT I USED TO JOIN WITH YOU- I AM UNCERTAIN WHETHER IT WAS DESTROYED. I BELIEVE IT WAS, BUT IT IS NOT A CHANCE I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE."**

Taylor huffed irritably.

 _'Well, that's reassuring.'_ She commented. She thought for a few minutes, considering. She was actually reasonably certain that she had become a Parahuman, if only briefly: she had developed the Corona Genma that apparently marked a Parahuman. But Panacea had said that it was shrinking, so- so maybe the Emperor had destroyed it and she was slowly reverting to human normal brain structure? Impossible to say. Which meant that just up and killing the Butcher was out. Besides, what if the Butcher simply transferred to the nearest Parahuman when killed? If that was the case then even killing it as a non-Parahuman would be an exercise in futility- and worse, make the Butcher stronger. Maybe some kind of imprisonment?

 _'But how do I go about it? The Butcher regenerates, according to the information online- not much information, but still. Regeneration and teleportation isn't exactly conducive to easy imprisonment.'_

 **"HMM. MAYBE SOME KIND OF STASIS OR TIME TRAP? SURELY THERE IS SOME TINKER WHO COULD MAKE SUCH A THING. GIVEN TIME, IN FACT, WE MAY BE ABLE TO CONSTRUCT SUCH A THING. A VORTEX GRENADE DERIVATIVE, PERHAPS."**

Taylor thought about it for a short while, then gave a mirthless, near silent laugh.

 _'Some Tinker. Oh yeah, there was some Tinker who could do that alright. Bakuda. Bakuda built those bloody time grenades. And now she's good for nothing but drooling onto herself.'_

For a brief moment Taylor wanted to swear and throw things at the sheer, _bloody obtuseness_ of the world, but she got herself under control. Swearing and throwing things wasn't productive. In fact, given that she was in her room and her Dad was asleep not far away, it might actually be unproductive.

 **"SHE IS USELESS NOW, BUT SHE DID NOT USE ALL OF HER GRENADES AND NEITHER DID WE. IF WE CAN LOCATE A CACHE WE MAY BE ABLE TO DEAL WITH THE BUTCHER. FOR A WHILE, AT LEAST."**

 _'Yeah, there's no way of knowing how long the distortion effect will last. I guess we had better keep working on our own weapons, in that case. Maybe, if my powers come back, I can trap the Butcher in the Warp? Or…I don't know.'_

Taylor sighed, shutting down her computer and glancing at the clock. Twelve o'clock. Still early, by her new standards of only needing a few hours' sleep a night.

 _'Well, there's still things to do. To the lair we go.'_

Taylor's lair, workshop, whatever you wanted to call it, was scattered with bits and pieces as she worked. She had managed to build her power cells. Her power cells had led to better power cells, which had led to her production machines, which had led to her armour. Fine. Job done, she had moved on to something rather more complicated.

Armour was fine, but rune encrusted power armour was a gamechanger.

The Imperium had, in the main, been focused upon large scale efficiency in war. The Titans and vehicles and ships had been far more important than the Guardsmen who could always be replaced, and so those Guardsmen had been equipped on the basis of providing the best protection in the shortest time. Hence, the flak armour or carapace armour, instead of power armour.

Of course, there was probably an argument that the Guard would have been made immensely more effective with power armour. Even the Sisters of Battle had been effective in power armour, and they had been fanatics whose idea of tactics was to charge blindly and set everything on fire.

In fairness, that description could broadly be applied to Vulkan. But Vulkan was a Perpetual Primarch. You could probably drop him in an erupting volcano and he would only be mildly aggravated.

Moving on from the Primarchs and their bizarre abilities and personalities…

Making Imperium- Fortieth Millennium, Mark Seven power armour- was out of the question. The microfusion cells needed to fuel the mighty suits were far too advanced for Taylor to create with her current resources, and she wouldn't be able to get those resources without money or backing- in that vein, she was considering patenting her solar cells and getting someone to market them. Armsmaster maybe? Who knew. The point was, she couldn't build microfusion cells- yet.

However, that did not mean that power armour was impossible. In theory, she might be able to link together enough solar power cells that, provided she stripped down the features enough, she would be able to create something like power armour. It would not be nearly as effective as the MK VII or MK VIII, but something like a very basic Crusade pattern armour might be possible. The lack of neural connecters would be a problem though, as would the insufficient materials. Taylor was able to create ceramite or plasteel but adamantium was out of the question and the muscle fibres that made the armour so effective would be of vastly inferior quality to what she would like.

Still, a design based upon a stripped-down Maximus MK IV pattern, fuelled by banked solar cells and constructed of steel and her approximation of ceramite and plasteel would certainly be useful, allowing her to become a juggernaut on the field for at least a small time. After all, the Sisters of Battle had definitely inferior power armour to Space Marines, missing the Black Carapace and the vast size, but they were certainly deadly. And Taylor was becoming more and more superhuman as time went on, which would compensate. And the heavier build of the armour would allow heavier weapons. She doubted she would be turning up to an Endbringer fight in Terminator armour and toting a Plasma Cannon anytime soon, but she could put together something. Which was why she was currently working- carefully working- on a muscle fibre that would be integrated into the right leg of the armour frame that leaned gaunt and skeletal against a wall.

Still, it was slow work and Taylor couldn't help but grumble a little to the Emperor.

 _'I can't help but think that things would be much easier if I had gotten the entirety of your power from the start. I could have torn a hole in existence big enough to reach the parasite, hit it with a solar system and then spent my time doing what you did for however long it took you before you decided to become, well, Emperor.'_ She noted gloomily, even as her fingers carefully worked. The Emperor replied in a tone that ignored her gloom.

 **"APPROXIMATELY THIRTY-EIGHT THOUSAND YEARS. AND, IN MY DEFENCE, HUMANITY THRIVED IN THOSE YEARS. FOR ALL THE WAR AND DESTRUCTION, IT TOOK ONLY A LITTLE NUDGING TO PUSH THEM TOWARDS A SOCIETY SO GREAT THAT MY IMPERIUM NEVER MANAGED TO REPLICATE IT, EVEN IN ITS GOLDEN YEARS."**

 _'Yeah. Bit of a pity that the Eldar managed to birth a Dark God and ruin everything.'_

 **"SOMETHING OF A SHAME, YES."**

Taylor let out a brief, soft snort of amusement at the dry admittance before devoting her attention to her work, letting the back of her mind work on the issue of the Butcher. There was a solution, she knew. She just had to find it.

* * *

 _ **And lo, finally a new chapter. Not that much happened in this one, but hopefully it offers some explanations and sets up some future stuff.**_

 _ **And yes, runes are a thing in 40k. Mainly Eldar I think, but given that the Emperor wields a weapon referred to as a Runesword- and it burns with eternal flame- I kind of assumed he knew what he was doing.**_

 _ **In addition- just thought I'd clear something up from a couple of reviews. Taylor didn't go straight to lethal force on Lung because she's still paranoid that that would get her thrown into the Wards- logical maybe not, but it is what it is. And she didn't use her Void Prison or whatever you want to call it because...well, simply because drawing that heavily on the Warp is enormously damaging to her. In fact, when she eventually did use it it left her utterly helpless and Lung still kind of functional. Would it have worked better if used earlier? Maybe, maybe not. But the point is that she wasn't too keen on using a massively painful, self damaging technique right off the bat. Which I thought was honestly kind of understandable.**_

 _ **As always- I hope you enjoyed, and I'd appreciate any review you care to leave.**_


	10. Chapter 8

**_Disclaimer: Worm and Warhammer 40k are not my property._**

 ** _22/03/2019- Chapters deleted and replaced in order to fix incorrect chapter titles._**

* * *

 _'Maybe we should go after the Merchants?'_ Taylor mused, her tools briefly laid down as she took a short break from working on her power armour. It was almost midday, and technically she should be working to pass the exam that she would be subjected to in just over a week, but…she wasn't. Obviously. It would be easy. And she really wanted to finish her armour before anything else terrible happened.

 **"HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THE PHRASE 'BITTEN OFF MORE THAN THEY COULD CHEW'?"**

 _'You know, that's not really that useful. I tried to limit myself. Not my fault that Tattletale has a good line in sob stories and that Bakuda started blowing things up.'_ Taylor defended, although it sounded a little weak even to her.

 _'I don't want to take on Lung again, not until I'm technologically loaded for bear- or my powers return. The Empire is too damn big to bring down without focusing on it. And I can't bloody find Coil!'_

Taylor took a moment to take a deep breath, smothering the rush of acid fury that had risen thickly in her chest at the reminder that Coil was still out there. That the kidnapper of a little girl was still out there and there was nothing that she could do. Once she had successfully pushed down the flash of rage she continued.

 _'So I thought that we could at least take down the Merchant Capes. The gang would probably still exist, but it would be a lot easier to deal with without them. It would let the Protectorate focus on the other gangs.'_

 **"WHAT MAKES YOU ASSUME THAT THE PROTECTORATE WILL BE ANY MORE EFFECTIVE WITH THE MERCHANTS GONE THAN THEY ARE NOW?"**

Taylor gave a brief mental shrug.

 _'I'm an optimist at heart.'_ She replied dryly. She looked down at the piece of muscle fibre she was currently working on- left arm, forearm- and sighed.

 _I can't help but think that, useful as armour will be, I'll need weapons as well. Especially when the big boys come to play.'_

 **"WHAT ARE YOU CONSIDERING?"**

 _'Well-hmm. I was thinking about building a laspistol, shouldn't be too hard to build and hide. But then something for me to use with my armour. I know you had your Runesword and Power Claw, but swords aren't really my thing-'_

 **"YET."**

 _'Swords aren't really my thing yet, so I was thinking of moving on from the staff I used. I can build a staff still, but then arm it. I was thinking something like a chain-glaive: it'll let me use it as a staff and if things get nasty it'll tear through almost anything.'_

 **"A CHAIN-GLAIVE"**

 _'Yes.'_

 **"TAYLOR…ARE YOU ACTIVELY ATTEMPTING TO FUEL RUMOURS THAT YOU ARE, INDEED, A POWER COPIER? BECAUSE THE MASSES WILL LOOK AT YOU IN POWER ARMOUR AND WIELDING A GLAIVE AND SEE ARMSMASTER."**

Taylor frowned, unwilling to admit that she hadn't thought of that.

 _'No they won't. There'll be no resemblance in the armours and a glaive is entirely different to a halberd.'_ She said, trying to convince herself. The Emperor projected an air of complete scepticism, but then spoke again.

 **"HOWEVER, OTHER THAN MISLEADING THE PUBLIC AS TO THE NATURE OF YOUR POWERS- WHICH IS IN AND OF ITSELF PERHAPS NOT A BAD THING- I DO NOT THINK THE IDEA A BAD ONE. ESPECIALLY AS A CHAIN WEAPON IS EASY TO UPGRADE AS TIME GOES BY, UNTIL EVENTUALLY YOU REACH THE POINT WHERE YOU HAVE TO BUILD AN ENTIRELY NEW WEAPON. A POWER WEAPON, PROBABLY."**

Taylor took a moment to imagine wielding an actual power weapon, smiling to herself for a few seconds before shaking her head and snapping back to the present.

 _'Right. So we're agreed that it's a good idea, I just need to build it.'_

She had the plans, both in her head and roughly sketched out, but she would need materials. Once again, her resource poor state struck her hard. The staff would be easy enough, she could forge it from metal, but the actual chainsaw section…well, she supposed that it something was worth doing it was worth doing well. And she at least had the materials to make herself a basic laspistol. That should keep her occupied until she went out tonight.

* * *

That evening found Taylor thoughtful, leaning over the sink in the bathroom as she pretended to be getting ready for bed, just before she checked that her Dad was asleep and sneaked out of the house. She had eaten dinner with her Dad earlier and, once again, noted how distant he seemed. How much he seemed like a shadow of the man she remembered, before her mother died.

Taylor sighed, looking into the mirror above the sink in a mournful fashion and remembering, almost wistfully, days when she would stare into the glass and criticise her appearance. When life was simple, if terrible. And before that, when she was young and innocent and her mind drifted back to her father.

 _'I wonder if he'd ever notice anything. What if I told him who I was, what I could do?'_ she asked. She thoughtfully tapped her chin as she pondered the answer. The Emperor provided no response.

 _'He'd want to protect me, wouldn't he? Want me to be safe. To keep my powers hidden, under wraps. To join the Wards, maybe, where I could be trained and protected and all my work could be funded. Like a responsible parent.'_

 **"WOULD YOU OBEY HIM? WOULD YOU BE A DUTIFUL DAUGHTER, JOIN THE WARDS AS HE WOULD LIKE?"**

Taylor sighed again and turned away from the mirror, her ponytail swishing faintly.

 _'I don't know. Not until the time comes. But I suspect-'_

Taylor began to walk, a brisk motion as she moved towards her bedroom.

 _'I suspect that I wouldn't. It doesn't matter what he thinks anymore, I won't join the Wards and let the PRT and Protectorate stifle my powers. Not even for the protection they could offer me, for the training and the funding.'_

A brief pause, as Taylor frowned slowly into the mirror.

 _'Imagine it. The once dutiful daughter, too selfish to let herself be protected. Too selfish to ease the burden on the father.'_

The Emperor said nothing in response, and Taylor hummed to herself.

 _'It's sort of ironic, really. Sofia might have joined the Wards from concern for her family, even though she was- is- a cruel bitch who thought nothing of what she did to me. I'd do the opposite. And yet, I'd say I'm the moral one. I wonder, when does it stop being for the greater good and start being for your own selfish desires?'_

She shrugged to herself, her armour already waiting and ready for her. For her to leave the house and leave Taylor Hebert behind and be Circaetus, the hero. Because she simply didn't have the time to wallow in melancholy. Didn't have the time to sit down and talk to her Dad, to work everything out and try to drag him from his slough of despond.

Or at least, that was what she told herself.

* * *

The streets were dark- as usual- and for once Taylor wished that it was closer to Summer. It might be nice to walk the dusk-lit streets in costume. It would certainly be more atmospheric. And warmer, probably. Taylor was glad that her armour had enough room for a jumper and that her coat was pretty thick. She had made her way onto the roof of a building- a slightly tricky manoeuvre requiring a dumpster, a fire ladder and a jump- and was knelt on one knee, one hand placed flat on the roof for balance as she concentrated. Her trickle of remaining power was all focused upon the area, spreading out and seeking a target- although there was a good chance that she'd be unable to find anything. A few city blocks was a decent range for her sensing, but crime levels weren't quite so high as to be a certain thing to find.

 _'Nothing. Nothing so far, at least.'_ Taylor commented, standing and walking back towards the fire escape.

 **"YES, IT'S A PITY THAT YOUR FRIEND ISN'T PATROLLING TONIGHT. SHE IS VERY USEFUL AS TRANSPORT."** The Emperor murmured. Despite herself, Taylor let out a muffled laugh.

 _'As well as being a good friend and excellent companion in battle?'_

 **"I THOUGHT THAT DID NOT NEED TO BE SAID."**

Taylor chuckled softly as she landed back on the ground, silently re-affirming her decision to build a jetpack at some point. It would make travel so much easier.

Also, death from above. Enough said, really.

 _'Next set of blocks then. I hope there's something going on. Wouldn't want a boring patrol.'_

Fortunately, Taylor would get her wish. It took her two more city blocks- and the commensurate time travelling- but she eventually located a group of Merchant minions. Well, maybe not a group. About three. Still, that was enough for her. She just wanted to get some information…assuming they had any, of course.

It was easy enough to deal with them, simply knocking down the two most ragged with her gloves set to stun and slamming the last against a wall. Tapping into the trickle of power she could draw from the Warp Taylor focused, shaping it into a mental effect. A very simple mental effect, but very effective.

Terror.

This particular warp ability was not uncommon among Psykers, manifesting her psychic shadow as a cloud around her and striking fear into the hearts of her foes. Weak as she now was it barely stretched more than a few metres, but it was more than enough.

The Merchant had pissed himself, Taylor noted with disgust, and she held him against the wall with one hand on his chest, trying not to touch him.

"Where is Skidmark?" she asked, quietly, coldly. The man gibbered in fear but shook his head, unwilling to talk. Taylor increased her aura and leaned in.

"I'll ask once more. _Where. Is. Skidmark?"_

The man talked.

* * *

It really was lucky that she'd found that man. He wasn't a Lieutenant or a Merchant high up or anything, but apparently Skidmark had a big mouth even when sober and was nigh incapable of keeping a secret when high or drunk. And Skidmark was always high or drunk. Taylor took her phone from an inside pocket and punched in a number.

"Dauntless? This is Circaetus. I've come across some information that I think you'll be quite interested in…"

* * *

 **"AH, THE DOCKS. THE CLASSIC HAUNT OF SCUM AN VILLAINY ACROSS MANY, MANY WORLDS, REAL OR OTHERWISE. THE SALT TANG AND THE REEK OF FISH IN THE AIR, A FITTING PERFUME TO MARK THE DARK DEEDS THAT INEVITABLY GO ON IN THEIR PRESENCE."**

 _'You can stop waxing lyrical now. I'm aware of how very cliché a midnight meeting on the docks is.'_

 **"JUST WANTED TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT YOU KNEW."**

 _'Yes, thank you for that. But you have to admit, cliché doesn't mean stupid. Nice and quiet for a meeting to take place, and the Docks has plenty of room to hide.'_

 **"WELL, I SUPPOSE THAT IS TRUE."**

The conversation was ended by the approach of something moving very…very fast. Taylor hopped to her feet, mentally tweaking the dials on her gloves to a setting a little above the usual stun. Nothing that would kill, but it would put someone in the hospital with just a touch. A little paranoia never hurt anyone.

Whoever was approaching arrived just as she finished turning, a red blur that slid to a halt and revealed a figure she recognised.

"Velocity, yes?" she said, waiting for a reply. The red costumed man nodded, sketching a half-salute in return.

"That's me. Circaetus, right?"

Taylor nodded, winding down her gauntlets and holding out a hand for him to shake. His grip was firm and unhesitating and Taylor decided that he didn't seem like a bad person. Arguably it was a little premature to trust someone based on a handshake, but he seemed like a nice enough person.

"Dauntless said you'd found something interesting?" Velocity asked, glancing around. Taylor nodded.

"Ah- interesting, yeah. That's one way to put it. Is it- just you, or are there others coming?"

Velocity shrugged briefly- he didn't seem to move any faster than normal or be particularly twitchy, which was interesting. Taylor had partly expected a speedster to be twitchy and quick- although from what she remembered Velocity's power acted on the world around him or something, creating a bubble of slowed time? Something like that. Didn't really matter at this point.

"Yeah, I think Dauntless and Assault are on their way. I just got here sooner." He explained. Taylor nodded.

"I'll wait until they arrive before I explain then, if you don't mind. Easier to tell it once." She said. Velocity nodded and leaned against a wall, slipping into silence. They waited in slightly uncomfortable silence for a few minutes, until Taylor sensed two people approaching and heard the soft noise of boots on concrete.

"Dauntless. Assault." She greeted quietly as they stepped into view. Assault gave her a grin and a cheery wave, while Dauntless inclined his head.

"Circaetus. You said you'd had news of a Merchant meeting?"

Taylor nodded.

"I was out on patrol, ran into some goons. One of them was pretty happy to tell me anything I wanted."

"Aww, sounds like you made a friend." Assault teased. Taylor glanced at him with slight bemusement.

"I suppose you could see it like that, yeah. Anyway. Turns out that Skidmark has a big mouth and he's been boasting about meeting a 'supplier' here. Big meeting, as it happens. Thought you might want in."

Velocity let out a soft noise of surprise, while Assault grinned fiendishly.

"Sounds like you really did make a friend." He said. Taylor gave a lazy shrug and briefly checked her watch.

"Anyway, the meeting is supposed to be in about fifteen minutes, and the meeting place is maybe five minutes away. So, you guys in?"

Dauntless gave her an amused glance.

"You know, normally it would be frowned upon to take someone who is probably Wards age into a confrontation with a pair of villains." He noted. Taylor tilted her head in a quizzical manner, attempting to replicate a raised eyebrow. Apparently, Dauntless got the message.

"But I think it would be ridiculous to say something like that to someone who has faced Lung and held their own. So yeah, I'd say we're in. Lead on, Circaetus."

Taylor gave the older hero a quick, brusque nod and led the three through a tangle of buildings, slipping through alleys and small streets until she was nearly at her destination. Once there she stopped, turning back to Dauntless.

"The meeting point is up ahead," she said quietly.

"It's got a ramp into the harbour, but a ship's been pushed close to the harbour by the waves and wind. There's quite a large open space, but I don't know how many Merchants are here. I can find out if you give me a minute."

Dauntless nodded to her.

"Find out." He ordered quietly, turning to Assault and Velocity to confer on a plan. Taylor closed her eyes and blocked them out, stretching her senses out to mark down the Merchants in the area.

"Eight Merchants. Five in one place, three in another. I think the three are Squealer and a couple of goons while the five include Skidmark." She reported after a minute or so. Dauntless nodded thoughtfully.

"Alright. Velocity, you take down the Merchants in the larger group- the unpowered ones. Assault, you stay ready to deal with Squealer if she brings in a tank or whatever. Circaetus, you're technically the heaviest hitter here so-"

"Ah," Taylor interrupted, flushing beneath her helmet.

"I'm not."

Dauntless paused.

"Excuse me?"

"I- um, my fight with Lung kind of burned out my powers." Taylor admitted. She swallowed, hating to admit this but knowing it was crucial.

"They're coming back, but really slowly. So I haven't got any telekinesis or pyrokinesis."

To Dauntless' credit, he only hesitated for a second.

"Right. Well, in that case, what powers do you have?" he asked, his tone cautiously moderated. Taylor lifted her chin defiantly.

"I'm stronger than I should be. My armour is at the very least as good as PRT standard issue, and my gauntlets go from taser to anti-tank field. In addition, I've got a mild healing factor." She stated flatly.

 _'And some limited precognition, but nobody needs to know about that.'_

Taylor recognised the tune that the Emperor hummed as the opening of a Black Sabbath song, but decided not to comment on it. Some questions were best left unasked.

"Alright." Dauntless mumbled, apparently reassembling his plans even as he spoke. Taylor glanced up at him and cleared her throat, very quietly.

"I am still fairly stealthy, though. So if you can draw attention I can probably sneak up on the Merchants- being able to sense where people are is pretty useful for that." She suggested softly. Dauntless glanced down, one gauntleted hand moving to the bottom of his helmet in an aborted chin-stroking gesture.

"Yes. Yes, that might work. Alright, Velocity and Assault, same as before. Circaetus, how much time do you need?"

Taylor lifted a hand and rocked it from side to side, briefly.

"Five, ten minutes. Five, maybe."

Dauntless nodded.

"We'll keep their eyes on us." He promised. Taylor nodded, stepping back two paces before she turned and strode away into the night. It wasn't hard to work her way around, using the alleys and the shadows therein to hide. It was easy. Keeping her attention and powers active to ensure she didn't run into anyone was a little harder, a strain at the back of her skull, but she endured it easily enough. Once she got into position she crouched in the shadows, eying the Merchants.

 **"A WRETCHED BAND INDEED."** The Emperor muttered. Taylor was inclined to agree. Skidmark looked as ridiculous as ever, twitching as he stood, but Taylor knew better than to underestimate him. Crude as the man was, he ran a successful gang in a city where Lung and the Empire ruled. Considering that even the infamous Teeth had been driven out- admittedly when Marquis still ran a significant portion of the city, but still- that was no mean feat. His goons were twitchy though, strung-out addicts who were about as reliable as a chocolate fireguard. This shouldn't be too-

Taylor squelched that thought before it could be finished. She didn't believe in Gods or fate, but luck was a fickle bitch. Best not to tempt her.

Electricity sizzled and crashed and Dauntless strode into view, shield nonchalantly at his side and Arclance sparking in his fist.

"What the fuck- oh. Oh, it's you."

For a moment Skidmark seemed too surprised to be angry, but then what parts of his face his mask left uncovered contorted in rage.

"What the fuck! What the fuck-loving shit are you doing here, you arse-jumpin' thunderwhore?"

Skidmark got gradually louder through his demand, until her was practically screaming. Taylor was a little impressed. That was some fairly inventive swearing. She particularly liked 'thunderwhore'. Imaginative.

"Skidmark." Dauntless acknowledged, unphased by the cursing.

"Skidmark. I'm a nice guy, so I'm going to give you this chance. Put down your weapons, surrender, you'll get a fair trial and a nice comfortable cell. Don't surrender and- well, you'll still get a fair trial and a comfortable cell. You'll just be a lot more beaten up when you get to them."

"Big fuckin' words for a white-dick hero all alone." Skidmark sneered, his men spreading out around him. Taylor couldn't tell where Squealer and her backup were, but she could sense them shifting. Dauntless shrugged and Taylor could hear the smile in his voice.

"Who said I was alone?"

A crimson blur and a Merchant staggered and Dauntless brought his Arclance up.

"Fucking- kill the bastards! Squeals!"

Dauntless snapped his Arclance out, a Merchant convulsing and falling as lightning flashed to him but Skidmark flicked a hand, bands of red planting themselves onto the ground and a hand went into the ragged coat and came out with a handful of scrap iron and nails. The scrap dropped onto the bands, suddenly accelerating to lethal speeds and Dauntless dropped behind his shield, shield and armour standing against the shrapnel. Velocity blurred into being for a moment, dragging a Merchant out of line- the third of the four goons- before blurring again, spinning around the man with dazzling speed. Taylor bit her lip, trying to decide when to move in.

Skidmark kept moving, dancing on the spot almost, howling insults and curses and flinging more shrapnel at Dauntless as the hero forced forwards step by step, shield high.

 **"AFTER THE GIRL REVEALS HERSELF. WHOEVER HAS THE LAST TRICK UP THEIR SLEEVE IS THE ONE WITH THE ADVANTAGE."**

Taylor growled in agreement, though she ached to charge in while Skidmark was distracted. But no. Better to wait, wait until either everything had gone to shit or until she had the chance to land a final blow. Besides, Dauntless was doing an excellent job of keeping Skidmark hopping with well-aimed and irregular lightning bolts from his arclance.

The roar of an engine filled the air and Taylor noticed Velocity flashing away. All the Merchant goons were down but a massive- a- a massive _truck_ , Taylor decided, burst from the shadows that really weren't big enough to conceal it and rushed towards Dauntless.

 **"HOW REMARKABLY ORKISH."** The Emperor mused thoughtfully, Taylor humming in agreement as she flicked her gauntlets to a much higher setting. The monstrous thing that bore a vague resemblance to a monster truck was covered in thick armour plates, crude but doubtless effective, and carried a rough turret as well as four wide-mouthed barrels set across the vehicle.

 _'That looks like the sonic cannon Squealer used on me and Glory when we first met.'_

 **"IT WAS AN EFFECTIVE WEAPON. IT IS UNSURPRISING THAT IT WOULD BE KEPT."**

 _'And yet the driver is trying to ram Dauntless, rather than use the cannons. No wonder Skidmark is so foul mouthed, being the brains for an entire gang must be tiring.'_

 **"BEING CONSTANTLY SURROUNDED BY IDIOTS WOULD CERTAINLY EXPLAIN HIS ANGER."**

The vehicle charged across the open space towards them. Taylor tilted her head in interest as a single figure walked to stand in front of it.

 _'Assault. What is his power again?'_

 **"HMM…WASN'T IT SOMETHING TO DO WITH KINETIC CONTROL AND ABSORPTION?"**

The truck hit Assault and promptly crumpled against him, hurling itself to a halt with sudden, shocking force and skidding to a halt on its side.

Skidmark turned his head in shock, his attack on Dauntless faltering a fraction. Taylor strode from hiding. One, two, three steps, boot rising before she drove the heel into the back of Skidmark's knee. The villain crumpled and Taylor brought her hands down, crackling gauntlets closing onto Skidmark's cheeks, the bare-skin contact letting electricity flow unhindered. Skidmark jerked and spasmed and fell, stunned.

"Well I'd call that a- move!"

Dauntless cut himself off, flinging himself to one side. Taylor dived in the opposite direction, swearing as she landed hard on her shoulder and bullets screamed overhead.

"How is that thing still working!" she roared, rolling to get out of the line of fire of the stocky gun barrels. At least they weren't turrets, but there were four of them and they were slightly offset enough to cover a lot of space. And the sonic cannon itself was mounted in a turret.

 _'We need to get close and disable the turret and guns.'_

 **"AGREED."**

Taylor pushed off from her crouch, bolting towards the toppled vehicle. She was out of the line of fire of the guns and they were concentrating on the Protectorate heroes in any case, but she still moved as fast as she could before the turret could fire.

The turret swung towards her.

Taylor forced herself into a dive, lunging to her right but the turret swung just enough and a wall of sonic force hit her, bypassing her armour to strike directly at her body. Pain flooded her and she fell, losing her balance as her organs were pulverised, blood already flooding her mouth from the fatal injury as-

Taylor blinked and dived left.

The cannon shot missed her by inches.

 _'Too close!'_

Precognition really was a useful tool. Taylor kept sprinting, not wanting to give Squealer time to fire again. She reached the toppled truck and leapt at it, landing next to the turret and safely out of its field of fire.

"You fuck-"

Squealer reared up from the turret- or reared sideways, really- with a gun in her hand, but she was far too close to Taylor. Taylor snagged her by the face and dragged her bodily from the turret, throwing her to the ground in one direction and her gun in the other before leaving her for the moment. A turn, her gauntlets mentally being turned to full power and a slightly sparkling field of energy materialised around her hands. Precognition didn't show any explosions, so Taylor simply rammed her fist into the sonic cannon, scything her hands through it and letting the crackling energy melt the steel.

 _'That should do it.'_ She mused, turning back to Squealer and letting her gauntlets go back to inactive. The Merchant Tinker was on her feet now, but she was bruised and looked unsteady. Still, she lurched forwards, a wrench in her hand that she swung at Taylor. Taylor merely caught her wrist and drove her other fist into Squealers stomach, stepping back as she doubled over in pain.

"Nighty-night, sweetheart." Taylor mocked as she pulsed her gauntlets to stun and tapped Squealer with a single hand. The Merchant went down in a heap and Taylor glanced around, checking that the area was safe before she crouched and lifted Squealer, slinging the shorter woman over her shoulder and walking towards Dauntless.

"So, do we call this a win?" Taylor asked as she dumped Squealer at Dauntless' feet. The Greek-themed hero laughed.

"Yeah, I think we can just about-"

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Interrupted a cheerful voice. Taylor turned, slowly, being careful not to make any sudden moves.

"I mean, we heard about this whole deal that was going on, and we thought we'd break it up. Maybe take out some Merchants while we were at it, remind the scum of their place underneath the proper people. But then when we got here you'd already done the job for us."

The cheerful voice was coming from a tall man, not bulky but cleanly muscled- something Taylor could quite clearly tell, as he wasn't wearing a shirt. The white tiger mask was quite distinctive. Stormtiger.

 _'Fucking Nazis.'_

The Nazi was still talking.

"And in recognition of that, I'll do you a deal. You leave, nice and easy. We'll break the Merchants merchandise, make sure Squealer and Skidmark are never a problem again, everyone is happy, yeah?"

 _'Kill Skidmark for his skin colour and brainwash Squealer into a pet Tinker, you mean.'_

Taylor let Dauntless do the talking while she shifted on her feet, ready to dive away if there was an attack. Stormtiger couldn't be alone, he was far too confident which meant that there had to be other Empire Capes around. But who? Probably not Othala, she was a healer not a combatant. Victor maybe. Rune wasn't sneaky enough, Fenja and Menja were glued to Kaiser, Purity was about as stealthy as the noonday sun. Krieg or Hookwolf maybe? Hookwolf didn't seem like the type to be subtle but he was the second in command of the Empire. That wasn't a job for an idiot.

Taylor eyed Stormtiger, somewhat regretting her choice to use gauntlets. The were far too close range. Maybe she should look into that later- but for now she would be best served by keeping Squealer away from the Empire. They were bad enough even without a Tinker on board. And besides that, if they took her and Skidmark it would ruin her victory. She couldn't have that.

Assault and Velocity had joined Dauntless and Stormtiger was still alone, though he looked no less confident for it.

"So it's not going to be a peaceful resolution, then?" he asked. Taylor detected a hint of a smile in his voice, a smile laced with predatory anticipation. This was a man who would be quite happy to fight it out, even outnumbered.

Assault shrugged.

"Well, you gotta look at it from our perspective. The two remaining Merchant Capes captured? That's pretty good. An Empire as well? Cherry on top."

"Cherry on top, huh?" Stormtiger mused. A shrug.

"Well then. I'd hate to keep you waiting."

Stormtiger snapped his hands up and three blades of wind went ravening towards Assault and Velocity. The two heroes sprang apart and Dauntless moved fast towards Taylor even as a resounding boom echoed over the grounds and something slammed into the ground near Velocity.

"Sniper!" Dauntless spat, sliding to a halt next to Taylor and holding his shield to cover them both.

"Victor." Taylor said immediately, assuming. Dauntless gave her a terse nod before shouting at Velocity to find Victor.

"I have to help Assault with Stormtiger. Can you stay with Skidmark and Squealer, make sure they don't escape?"

Part of Taylor wanted to protest that she could help in the fight, but she was smart enough that the protest didn't gain much traction. She was handicapped without her telekinesis, it was the truth. Even if it was a bitter pill to swallow.

"Yeah, I can do. Go help Assault." She said. Dauntless briefly touched her shoulder in commiseration before rising and running towards the fight, while Taylor grabbed Squealer and Skidmark by their collars and ran for the shelter of the overturned truck. Once there she dumped them on the ground, flattening against the truck to catch her breath and peeking around to watch Dauntless and Assault brawl with Stormtiger, keeping the Empire cape on the back foot.

 **"HE IS STILL TOO CONFIDENT. SOMETHING IS WRONG."**

 _'I'm not going to disagree. He must have more backup than Victor, but where-'_

The blade went in between her chestplate and helmet rim, driving into her neck before being bloodily torn out and Taylor lurched forwards, spewing blood into her helmet, fingers reaching for the gaping wound-

Taylor hurled herself into a forwards roll, panicking and cursing as she landed in an ungainly sprawl and forced herself to twist upright, spinning awkwardly on her heel to face her attacker.

 _'What the fuck are those things?'_

The girl- Cape- Cricket, she thought- facing her was a little shorter than Taylor herself, with a lean build and a blonde buzz-cut. A strange metal cage acted as a mask, but Taylor was most occupied by the weapons she held. Each one looked almost like a scythe, but in miniature, only as long as the capes forearms.

 **"I BELIEVE THEY ARE CALLED KAMAS. THEY ARE USED IN SOME MARTIAL ARTS."**

 _'Oh boy, Nazis with esoteric combat strategies. Just how I like it. Although-"_

"Isn't using an Asian martial art sort of against the whole 'America is for the whites' ethos you guys have going?" Taylor asked, letting her mouth run as she assessed.

Unfortunately the cape didn't seem interested in pre-fight banter.

 _'Fuck!'_

Taylor staggered back as Cricket crossed the open space in a sudden springing leap, one kama snapping up from below in a move designed to disembowel as the other sliced horizontally towards her throat. Taylor lurched back, trying to work out how she was supposed to manage this but she didn't have time. Wing it then.

A straight punch, snapped out towards the chest in a feint that brought time for an uppercut that was meant to give her space both went wide as Cricket danced aside and brought her blades to bear, one whispering through the air an inch from Taylors' mask as the other caught the sleeve of her coat, just under her shoulder. The material parted under the steel but it was barely a scratch, so Taylor ignored it. Cricket was a blur, moving faster than any normal human could and keeping Taylor on the defensive with a whirlwind of steel. An overhanded blow came down swinging towards her head and Taylor caught it, the blade locking against her gauntlet and utterly failing to cut through.

Taylor seized the chance, launching a blow towards the stomach with her free left hand but Cricket just stepped away, letting go of her kama for a moment before stepping sharply back in, snatching it as it rotated and fell from Taylors' arm while the other came up, a blow designed to hook under the rim of Taylor's helmet and plunge into the soft flesh of her chin. Taylor dipped her chin and leaned back just enough, a horrible screech sounding as the blade scraped and grated on the plasteel of her helmet. Taking her chance she grabbed Cricket by the arm, holding her in place just long enough to drive a blow towards the stomach.

The punch connected with satisfying force, doubling Cricket over but the Empire Cape knew fighting and used the motion to twist and squirm and grabbed Taylor in turn, twisting and flipping Taylor over her shoulder. Taylor managed to turn enough that she landed in a roll, skittering away as she stood and eyeing Cricket warily once the distance was open.

 _'Damn. Damn, she's good.'_

 **"AT THE RISK OF REPEATING MYSELF, I GIVE THE ADVICE I GAVE AGAINST GRUE. SHE IS FASTER BUT YOU ARE STRONGER."**

 _'Grappling again? She's pretty good at it though.'_

 **"DO YOU HAVE ANY CHOICE?"**

Taylor grinned under her mask.

 _'Not any that I care for.'_

Taylor pushed off, lunging towards Cricket and throwing a rapid combination of attacks, dialling her gauntlets further up. They weren't quite at the stage of tank-busting, but any hit would almost certainly incapacitate. One hit, that was all she needed.

Cricket seemed disinclined to allow her that hit. The Empire villain danced between blows, lashing out in return with quick, precise movements and the more Taylor exchanged blows the more she became convinced that Cricket had some form of enhanced reflexes. Cricket wasn't faster than possible for a human, but she moved with far too much efficiency and dodged with far too much alacrity.

Taylor really needed to find some way to enhance herself without her powers.

Cricket stepped, cut, stepped and Taylor shifted just enough that she took the blow on her vambrace, swinging with her other fist and silently bemoaning her choice to use gauntlets. She should have built a staff, she wasn't good enough in unarmed combat. Oh, certainly The Emperor had been skilled in it, and those skills had somewhat passed on to her, but there was a world of difference between the kind of fighting styles available for a seven foot man who was built like he was auditioning for the lead role of Conan the Barbarian and a girl who, though tall for her age, was still well under six foot and fairly slender.

Didn't help that Cricket was clearly practiced against the sort of mixed bag brawling style that The Emperor had favoured. Better for bar brawls, really, and Taylor wished that she had a sword or staff.

Cricket kept swinging, both of them still exchanging blows that either missed or skated off armour, a pointless stalemate that would only be decided when someone made a mistake or grew too tired. Taylor fell back a fraction, feinting. Cricket didn't take the bait but Taylor was moving again, lunging forwards and predicting movement with a flicker of precognition. A blade came down and Taylor closed her fingers around Crickets wrist, bemoaning the fact that her gloves wouldn't shock properly when gripping like this. According to her vision the other blade should be coming down to-

Cricket drove a knee into her ribs and Taylor grunted in pain, glad that the impact was mostly soaked by her armour as Cricket tried to hook her free blade around and behind her neck. Taylor twisted, trapping the free arm with her own and bringing her helmeted head inches from Crickets own. Out of options, Taylor went for a headbutt.

The hit landed but Cricket did something the moment before, a static noise reverberating through Taylor's skull. Instant nausea and Taylor barely managed to throw Cricket away and stagger away, wobbling for a moment and barely repressing the urge to vomit. At least Cricket didn't seem to eager to get up and resume the fight.

Taylor really needed a weapon. In fact…

Taylor skated back, clearing some space and getting next to the fallen truck. A hard thrust of her fist and a grip and Taylor grabbed a pipe, using the higher setting on her gauntlets to slice through the metal and pull the makeshift staff from the vehicle. She spun it in her hands and looked at Cricket, who was standing with a wariness in her stance.

"Round two then, Cricket."

The two of them started circling, neither to eager to rush in. Taylor ran through her options and concluded she needed to bait a rush. And what better way to do that than her old favourite, taunting?

"So, Cricket. That's the name of a tank, right? German, World War 2?"

The Emperor had an excellent memory for useless trivia. Well, useless to a point.

"And then there's Stormtiger. Well, _Sturmtiger,_ another tank. But then Hookwolf? Where's the connection? Maybe he should call himself _Jadgpanther_ or something, then you can be _Krieg und der Panzers._ Your very own neo-Nazi band, right? Then again Stormtiger already looks like a boyband member, what with the shirtlessness and the jeans. Well, either that or a male model. Is that why he and Hookwolf go around topless, they like flaunting themselves? I thought your ethos was against homosexuality-"

Cricket attacked. Honestly Taylor was surprised it had taken so long, she had gotten talking rubbish at people until they attacked just to shut her up to an art. But that wasn't relevant: the fight was. Taylor whirled her staff, using it with swift, precise movements to keep Cricket at bay. Fancy hand-scythes were all well and good but now Taylor had better range and she intended to use it ruthlessly. Sweeps and jabs whipped out, all of them aimed to incapacitate because Taylor didn't care how tough Cricket was, a broken limb would sure slow her down and a shattered collarbone would definitely put a cramp in her style.

"Come on, Cricket. What's the matter, lost your edge now that you're not the only one with a weapon?"

Cricket responded with a swift, leaping attack that pressed Taylor hard and Taylor was glad for her armour as blades scraped against ceramite and plasteel where Cricket managed to pierce her defence. They broke apart for a moment and Taylor gritted her teeth.

 _'Take one to give one, then.'_

She snapped forwards, throwing a lunge aimed at Cricket's ribs before converting it to a vertical sweep towards the chin. Cricket leaned back, letting the end of the impromptu staff pass her face and bringing her scythes in but Taylor spun the staff in one hand, blocking one staff and letting the other grate across her chestplate as she swung her free hand in response.

Her fist hit Cricket in the ribs with a satisfying crunch.

The bubbling noise in her eardrums was back and Taylor was suddenly seeing double. A boot caught the side of her left knee, not badly enough to break it but enough to buckle her leg and a knee met her chin and pain blossomed in her upper right arm as a scythe cut her coat and hooked the very tip into her torso, just a fraction of the steel sliding between the gap between her breast and backplate before Taylor's blind, swinging counter forced Cricket to leap away. Taylor forced herself upright and staggered, cursing as her head spun and pounded.

 _'What the flying fuck was that?'_

 **"SOME KIND OF SONIC ATTACK?"**

 _'Yeah- heh. Sounds bad.'_

 **"CRICKET IS CERTINLY A CHIRPY ONE."**

 _'I think I'd appreciate that more if my head wasn't ringing.'_

Taylor shook her head, trying to focus her scattered thoughts on not getting eviscerated by the Empire cape. At least they had a little pause before the fighting started again. She'd have to use the time to strategize before they got back into it, find some weakness that she could exploit. She shot a glance around, suddenly noticing that Skidmark and Squealer weren't where she had left them. In fact, Skidmark was out of her vision while Squealer was standing near an alleyway with a _very large gun in her hands._

 _'Oh.'_ Taylor commented, already trying to work through plans and thoroughly tired of being blindsided. She wished her powers were back into useful shape already, particularly the ones covering special awareness via locating minds.

That was sort of irrelevant, honestly, especially as Squealer was shouting something.

"Hey! Faggots! Why don't you just suck on-"

Whatever Squealer intended them to suck on would never be known, as the shadows behind her suddenly turned to silver light and a churning mass of metal in the vague shape of a wolf crashed through.

Squealer didn't even get the chance to scream before the rotating, whirring blades fell upon her. A horrendous crunching, grinding sound filled the air and Taylor watched in sudden shock as scraps of torn flesh and splinters of bone were spewed from the tearing grinder that Hookwolf had become, accompanied by a fountain of crimson blood. Dyed a gory red Hookwolf continued his rush, charging towards the rest of the Capes even as Skidmark let out an unholy shriek of rage.

Taylor didn't wait to receive the same grisly fate as Squealer, diving out of the way and sprinting to clear the area, getting away from Hookwolf and Cricket both. Skidmark, addled by drugs and anger and maybe even loss was not so sensible. Howling in rage he began to fling whatever he could at Hookwolf, pointless and useless but at least his layers of acceleration or whatever they were had appeared under Hookwolf and the bestial Empire Cape couldn't make any further progress over the ground.

Taylor suddenly realised that Cricket was right behind her and tripped, rolling and somehow turning the motion enough to fling her staff at the pursuing Empire Cape. Cricket apparently wasn't expecting it and her hasty dodge allowed Taylor to gain some ground, getting closer to Dauntless and Assault. Taylor hit her feet near Skidmark and swore as she saw Stormtiger, smirking, arm raised to unleash an attack at her.

The air howled and split under the Nazi Capes power.

Taylor wrenched herself around just enough. The edge of a wind claw hit her chest, driving the breath from her lungs but not quite penetrating the armour, a glancing shot that spun her half around and left her looking towards Skidmark. The Merchant was not as fortunate as she was, and the rest of the aerokinetic attack slammed into him.

Skidmarks' right side came apart in a welter of shredded meat, a burst of blood spraying from the mangled flesh. The pain or the shock made him lose control of his power and Hookwolf, suddenly freed from the opposing force that had trapped him in place, pounced. He bore the Merchant to the ground, claws gaining a fresh paint of blood and viscera before the massive metal jaws closed and the screaming stopped. Taylor gave Hookwolf a hard, wary look, stepping back until she felt a solid presence at her back and a gauntlet touched her shoulder.

"You alright?" Dauntless asked softly. Taylor shook her head to clear it of the last lingering nausea and dizziness and nodded.

"I've been better. But I'm not out of the fight yet." She replied, just as quietly. Dauntless grunted an affirmation and stepped forwards, standing next to her. Assault joined him on her other side and they stared down the Empire capes, the hulking form of Hookwolf flanked by Cricket and Stormtiger.

For a moment Taylor contemplated making a sudden attack, a single leap with her gauntlets tuned to full. Hookwolf wasn't too far away and she might be able to take him down. A flicker of precognition and-

Taylor leaped, crossing the open space in two lightning strides and flinging her fists forwards. Her left fist met Hookwolfs arm, the crackling aura vaporising the metal and clearing a path for her left fist to plunge deeply into the metal body, pushing in for a moment of glorious, elated success before the blades behind the gauntlet closed and tore into flesh, chewing through her forearm armour and spearing into flesh, tearing and ripping and dragging her in as she cried out in sudden pain and was dragged into a blender just like so many others who-

Taylor blinked herself back to the present. Pre-emptive attack not a good idea then. Yet another strike against using gauntlets instead of a staff or sword. Or a gun, but guns were a little less PR friendly.

Maybe she should start ignoring PR. It didn't seem to be doing much for her.

"So," she said, feeling an overwhelming need to break the silence,

"Who's the bad, who's the good and who's the ugly?"

Stormtiger laughed softly, a slightly choked sound that almost sounded like he hadn't been expecting it. Hookwolf shifted slightly, metal grating and scraping on metal and Cricket said nothing. Taylor was beginning to wonder if the female villain was mute. Quite besides that though, she needed to make a decision. These Empire Capes were deadly and skilled and her gauntlets were not nearly good enough. And yet, she had a laspistol at her back, just waiting. She had refrained from using it before because- well, because it was deadly. Anything near a torso shot and Cricket and Stormtiger would both be dead. She hadn't wanted that, not to try and save Squealer or Skidmark. A murder charge was not something she would flirt with lightly. But if the fight continued, if Dauntless or Assault or Velocity were in danger…

Well, she could call it self defence and be believable. And if she wasn't believed, if the PRT or Protectorate saw it as a chance to strong-arm her? Well, she wasn't reliant on them. Not on anybody. They'd soon regret turning her against them.

Hookwolf crouched a little, blades crunching and grinding. Tylor tensed, unsure if her laspistol would fell the lupine monstrosity before her but willing to try. And then Stormtiger spoke.

"Well, it seems our business here is concluded. The filth are dead, there is no reason for us to fight."

"You're a murderer. You're going to prison." Dauntless responded tersely. Stormtiger smiled.

"Are we?" he asked, his tone heavy with amusement and Taylor noticed that Cricket had pulled something from behind her back and-

"Flashbang!" Assault yelled and Taylor threw her arm up, squeezing her eyes shut on sheer instinct. Sound rocked her and the flash was visible even through her visor and closed eyelids and when she opened her eyes it was to a thick murk of fog. She pressed a hand to the bottom of her mask, holding her breath as she lurched forwards and cleared the smoke but there was no sign of the Empire capes. Taylor let the exhaustion of fighting wash over her and sagged, dropping to her knees and slamming one fist into the hard ground in sheer frustration.

 _'What an absolute fucking clusterfuck. So much for an easy, successful return.'_

* * *

When Taylor returned home that night she was in what could best be described as a truly foul mood. Not only had she failed to bring in any prisoners but she had been forced to go through a debriefing with the PRT, which- of course- included another attempt at recruiting her. This time it had been Triumph, the newest Protectorate Cape, giving her the talk about how 'Tinkers are more at risk.' Well, fuck that. She'd said no before, she'd say no again and she wished they would get the fucking message.

Taylor cut off her mental rant by sharply standing from her table. She had returned to her lair at the first chance she had, stripping off her armour to check the wound that Cricket had given her. Luckily the cut was narrow and not too deep. Her healing was taking care of it already. Her armour, similarly, was nigh undamaged, just a few scratches to mark the blows of Cricket's scythes.

 _'Well at least the armour got a proper stress test. Fucking Cricket. Fucking gauntlets.'_

 **"PERHAPS IT IS TIME THAT WE RETHOUGHT OUR WEAPONS."**

 _'Revisit the plans, you think? I suppose. But we tried to get a staff to work, we couldn't get the materials to make the field shape properly.'_

 **"WE CANNOT MAKE A PROPER POWER WEAPON WITH OUR CURRENT RESOURCES, TRUE. BUT SOMETHING DIFFERENT, PERHAPS SOMETHING MORE LIKE A SHOCK MAUL?"**

Taylor considered.

 _'Plausible, I suppose. We would need more materials though.'_ She concluded, assessing what remained of her loot from Bakuda's stash. She thought it through. She knew that new Tinkers were in danger simply because the gangs kept watch on the scrapyards and tracked Tinkers down.

Taylor briefly considered the implications of hunting down and forcibly recruiting Tinkers regarding the whole unwritten rules of 'Don't try to find out civilian identities' but then dismissed it as more hypocrisy that would never be admitted.

 _'I think we're capable of taking out a few guards and grabbing what we need. There's a scrapyard not far away.'_

 **"AND THE NIGHT IS STILL YOUNG, SO WHAT DO WE WAIT FOR?"**

 _'Absolutely nothing.'_ Taylor replied, picking up her armour. She might still need it.

* * *

Honest John's Salvage was a big, dark place that Taylor was actually fairly suspicious about. For one, the owner was called Luke. And Taylor was quite certain that he had strong links to the Empire.

At least, the way that all of the watchmen had Empire tattoos seemed to indicate that-something Taylor learned when she half-stripped their unconscious bodies to look for loot. Or hidden weapons. Mainly the second one, of course. She wasn't just looking for cash. Honestly.

Anyway. Taylor being an upstanding member of the superhuman community who was also an excellent role model for younger heroes aside, she had a job to do and things to find and the choicest loot would almost certainly be found in the main office. Corruption made stuff like that predictable.

As it turned out, Dishonest John or Imperial Luke or whatever he was called was in the main office, working late. He was disappointing in his commitment to the Empire cause, squealed almost immediately once Taylor turned on the intimidation aura and got even mildly graphic in her threats. It was pretty sad, really, but it meant that she got herself access to the best stuff and left scot-free. And even better, there was no way he was going to tell anyone, just because who would believe him? Taylor left with a sack full of goodies, some handy-dandy information on the dog fighting rings that Hookwolf liked to run and an interesting debate with the Emperor on the morality of using her powers to intimidate and injure.

The debate was difficult.

It was hard to argue coherently when both people were fundamentally on the same side.

* * *

Taylor took a day to build her new staff. In many ways it was like the shock maul favoured by the Imperium police force, but in a lot of others it was far less deadly. She had never been able to create a true force weapon simply because she couldn't get the field to shape around the blade- hence the gauntlets, which required far less finesse. In this case Taylor simply lowered the power requirement by leaving the staff at a maximum far below her gauntlets: it wouldn't punch through armour but it would put out a shock that she estimated would drop a good number of Brutes. More than good enough.

 _'Power source. These cells are too big.'_ She mused. The Emperor, fortunately, had a solution.

 **"THERE IS NO NEED FOR ONE. A CAPACITOR IS WELL WITHIN YOUR ABILITES TO MAKE AND WILL BE SMALLER. THE ONLY TRADE WILL BE THE ABILITY TO HAVE IT RECHARGE IF WE ARE EVER FORCED AWAY FROM OUT BASE FOR A LONG TIME. AND IN THAT CASE-"**

 _'We would have far more to worry about than a staff that's run out of power. Actually, a couple of capacitors is a good idea. Because with capacitors, we can add a little something that release all that energy at once. A lovely little corona of energy. And anything that's within that energy, well…that anything is fucked.'_

 **"YOU MIGHT BE WELL ADVISED TO ADD SOMETHING TO YOUR ARMOUR IN THAT CASE. A SET OF RUNES TO CANCEL ELECTRICITY."**

 _'Those exist? Why aren't they used more?'_

 **"A COMBINATION OF BEING QUITE COMPLICATED AND NOT WORKING VERY WELL. YOU GET ONE SHOCK OF PROTECTION AND THEN THEY BURN OUT, NO MATTER HOW STRONG THE SHOCK. A GOOD STATIC SHOCK COULD BURN THEM OUT, IN FACT."**

 _'Well, I suppose they're better than nothing. You can guide me through?'_

 **"OF COURSE. AS I ALWAYS SHALL."**

* * *

Taylor spent the next day working on her new weapon, trying to ignore a niggling doubt that had started in the back of her mind. It was nothing she could pin down, something deep within that itched at the back of her consciousness and caused her to try and bury it in work. She had worked on her staff. She had even put together a basic voltmeter, testing it with the sparks of lightning she could generate in order to assess the rate at which her powers were returning- she and the Emperor had concluded that her powers were actually returning at an increasing rate, but the return was currently so slow that the increase was negligible. But that hadn't taken long and really there was nothing that could quite drown out the niggling feeling which was why, even after she finished the staff, she sat listlessly at her work desk and stared blankly into space.

 _'Something is wrong. There's something I've forgotten.'_ She thought.

 **"THERE USUALLY IS."**

 _'Yeah, but this time it's important to me. Personally.'_

Taylor briefly reflected on how selfish that was before shrugging it off. It didn't matter. Besides, it was just about time for dinner. Her Dad should nearly be home by now.

It wasn't a long walk home. Quickly wash and change, make it look like she had been studying all day- the tests that Principal Blackwell had pushed upon her were only a few days away. She was confident she could ace them, though. The topics were far from difficult.

Taylor clattered down the stairs, a smile crossing her face as she walked into the room and saw her Dad looking more cheerful than before. The food was takeout, but it wasn't terrible. As Taylor smiled and chatted with her Dad, though, she couldn't help but feel that something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

 _'Is it just me,'_ Taylor thought slowly, _'Or is my Dad acting oddly?'_

 **"HIS EMOTIONAL RESPONSES ARE STRANGELY MUTED FOR CERTAIN TOPICS. HE'S AS PASSIONATE AS NORMAL WHEN IT COMES TO MOST THINGS, BUT-"**

 _'He's not reacting normally to me.'_ Taylor concluded, her unease solidifying. She almost had a theory but she needed to test it. Which meant…

"It's amazing how fast this Circaetus has become a big hero. It's almost suspicious." She said, not quite casually. That should have elicited a reaction, but all she got was a disinterested murmur. Taylor carefully kept the frown off her face, her suspicions increasing. It couldn't be.

She kept trying to draw him into conversation, but every time she tried to get into a conversation about a topic that was anywhere outside the ordinary he simply lost interest.

 _'The- that isn't normal. That isn't normal at all, what's happening?'_

 **"TAYLOR."**

The usual monotone was still there, but the voice was quieter, softer somehow.

 **"WHEN YOU GAVE THOSE PYSCHIC ORDERS TO YOUR FATHER. WHEN YOU IMPRESSED UPON HIM THE SUBCONSCIOUS INSTRUCTIONS, WHAT DID YOU USE?"**

 _'I- I used a variation of my notice-me-not impression. I made sure that he wasn't going to interfere. That he wouldn't pay undue attention to anything out of the way. And I repeated it to insure that-"_

Taylor stopped, suddenly horrified. Oh. Oh, she had…

 _'I impressed it on him again and again, thinking that I needed to so that he wouldn't lose it at some time. But…but it's…'_

 **"IMPRESSED ITSELF UPON HIS CONSCIOUSNESS UNTIL IT IS NIGH PERMANENT. IT IS BLINDING HIM TO ANYTHING UNUSUAL."**

Taylor hastily made excuses and left the table, hurrying up to her room. Her horror increased as he just murmured acknowledgement, uncaring.

 _'How can we fix this? Can we fix this?'_ Taylor asked, her panic receding as she took a deep breath and forced herself to think. The Emperor was silent for a long moment.

 **"I DO NOT THINK IT IMPOSSIBLE. BUT WE WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL OUR POWERS HAVE RETURNED PROPERLY. THEN WE CAN ENTER HIS MIND AND STRIP AWAY THE LAYERS OF COMMAND."**

A pause.

 **"I AM SORRY, TAYLOR. THIS IS MY FAULT, PERHAPS EVEN MORE THAN YOUR OWN, FOR NOT SEEING IT."**

Taylor shook her head, resolute.

 _'No. You aren't responsible for what I do, you had no reason to think I was enforcing it too strongly or that it would have such lasting effects.'_

Her expression hardened.

 _'Besides, this might be a good thing. We could make a mistake and have to leave at any moment, and this way it won't affect him. He's been sunk in apathy for years. A little more won't hurt.'_

The Emperor said nothing. Taylor picked up her bag containing her clothes for heading out and moved to the stairs again. She had villains to deal with. Her Dad would just have to wait.

* * *

The dog fighting ring was a mess when Taylor arrived. The doors to the warehouse hung askew, torn bodies lying about. Taylor looked around her, taking a firmer grip on her staff and proceeding cautiously.

Her caution was well founded. As she entered the warehouse a rumbling snarl split the air and a massive beast charged from the shadows, heading right for her. Taylor brought her staff up and out, stepping sharply to one side and dealing a brisk blow to the beast of exposed muscle and spiking bone. Electricity crackled and jolted and the thing went down, letting Taylor inspect it.

 _'One of those dog-lizard-rhino things. Hellhound is here. That might make it more interesting.'_

She continued, still cautious and dealing with a few scattered Empire men and one other dog-beast. It was easy enough: it looked like most of the dogs and Empire men had slaughtered one another, or at least been injured enough that they were no threat. The arena wasn't far in, a concrete pit surrounded by a few tiers of steps or seats, like a Roman gladiator arena in miniature. Taylor entered undetected, felling a better dressed man and taking the pistol from his hand as she observed the arena.

Three huge corpses lay haphazardly about, each one steaming gently as meat began to slough off them in a grim parody of decay. Hellhound was leaning against a wall, her mask askew and her arm bloodied, her body langage defiant but afraid. A cornered rat. The main attraction was in the very centre of the room.

Hookwolf was, by any measure, impressive. Fearsome in his wolf form of shifting metal, he was scarcely less intimidating as a man. Tall, with blonde hair flowing blindly behind him like some barbarian hero. His chest was bare and rippled with muscle. One arm was slowly receding back to flesh, metal sinking into skin from the blade it had formed and his stance was that of a conqueror, a warrior standing triumphant over a vanquished foe.

 _'The big man himself. What a prize that would be.'_

 **"THIS IS A BAD IDEA. HE IS STRONG AND SMART AND YOUR POWERS HAVE BARELY EVEN BEGUN TO RETURN. TO FIGHT NOW WOULD BE BEYOND RECKLESS."**

 _'I know. Oh, I know. But I can't just walk away. Can't just leave. It's not who I am.'_

 **"IT IS STUPDITY."**

 _'Stupidity, bravery. It's a fine line, but the glory is the same.'_

A long, slow sigh.

 **"THEN BE STUPID. BUT BE CAREFUL ABOUT IT. DO NOT LET YOUR PRIDE GET US KILLED. WE ARE NO USE TO ANYONE TORN TO SCRAPS."**

Taylor smiled for just a moment before she brought up the pistol and shot Hookwolf three times, each in the chest.

The boom of the pistol and the accompanying rattle of the bullets bouncing uselessly off the steel that lay just under the skin was still echoing as Taylor dropped down into the arena, next to Hellhound. She didn't give the other Cape time to speak, instead pressing the end of her staff into Hellhounds' ribs and stunning her. She shoved the body into the recess in the arena wall, where a tunnel led in, presumably to the cages where the dogs had been kept. Hopefully that would keep the mad dog out of the way.

"Sorry about that interruption, Baskerville. But you and I have business to settle and I'm not a patient girl." Taylor said, letting her smile slip into her voice. Hookwolf eyed her, not bothering to hide the churning mass of steel under the rips in his chest. His response was in a low, gravelly voice, but it was laced with amusement.

"Straight to the fight, eh? I have to respect that in an enemy. No frills, no fancies. I like that about you."

Taylor laughed.

"Well, you know what they say. A girls gotta have fun…now c'mon, Hookwolf. Unless you've got more to say?"

The reply was a booming laugh that transposed to a gratingly metallic snarl halfway through and Taylor whirled her staff in one hand as she pushed the gauntlet on the other to full, armour melting force.

And then the fight was on.

* * *

 _ **Ah, cliffhangars. I really am fond of them. It's some sort of character flaw I think. More seriously, this chapter was initially intended to cover the Hookwolf fight as well, but it was getting intolerably long and so I cut it.**_

 _ **Taylor's new staff is sort of wandering towards an Imperium style Staff of Light. I don't really know where it was going, but the gauntlets encountered the unfortunate issue of writing based on Rule of Cool: it hits reality. They just weren't working out, hence the staff.**_

 _ **Discussing Taylor: she's selfish. That's intended. She's not the best person in the world a lot of the time, and she knows it, which is why she doesn't want to kill anyone. Slippery slope, similar reasoning to what is sometimes used with Batman. Of course, there's every chance that it would just be that one time, but she doesn't believe in herself. Plus, of course, her paranoia that the PRT will find out and try to strong-arm her. Paranoia doesn't have to be justified.**_

 _ **On another tangent, I saw a description of this fic that read something like 'The Emperor rides shotgun in Taylors mind. He makes bad puns. I should clarify, this is not a crackfic'.**_

 _ **Somehow, that description pleases me. Also, on the subject of crack- this is not Stormtiger/Taylor, Hookwolf/Taylor or Cricket/Taylor. There are no pairings planned. No matter how amusing they promise to be.**_

 _ **Also, I could name every chapter 'Taylor is a dick to people' and it would probably be true. Oh well.**_

 ** _Finally,_**

 ** _As always, I hope you enjoyed and would appreciate reviews. And I apologise for the long author note, but I had a fair bit to say._**

 ** _Thanks for reading._**


	11. Chapter 9

**And I'm back.**

 **Disclaimer: As standard, neither Worm nor Warhammer 40k belong to me.**

* * *

Hookwolf came forward in a surging rush, massive legs propelling him and a front leg lifting for a mighty slash. Taylor darted forwards, moving towards his left side and meeting the thrusting paw with her fist. The energy field around her gauntlet met metal and there was a shrieking noise as it cut through, letting her surge past. Taylor slid to a halt and spun, turning down her gauntlet to take a two-handed grip on her staff and swing hard. Hookwolf twisted and rolled, digging into the ground to tip himself over and pass under the staff before springing upright again, distance successfully gained. Taylor shifted her stance to face him properly, staff still in both hands. That was just the opener, she knew, an assessment with no real damage done. The clawed paw she had destroyed was already mostly regrown.

 _'You think all that metal will conduct electricity well enough that he'll go down from one zap?'_

 **"I SUSPECT THAT IF IT WERE THAT EASY IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DONE ALREADY."**

 _'Yeah, I thought so too. But a girl can dream, right?'_

Hookwolf pounced forwards, claws lashing, and Taylor was forced to dance and dodge, barely avoiding the razor blades that whipped at her, clawing motions that covered as much space as possible as she stepped back. Left, right, left, right, the attacks were falling into a pattern that she could see and anticipate and she stopped suddenly, taking advantage of a gap in the pattern that _suddenly wasn't there._

Her staff caught Hookwolf in the jaw, electricity crackling across metal in a sudden sparking show but a clawed paw the size of her torso hit her in the chest and flung her away. She landed by the wall with a pained gasp but nothing was broken and her armour, scored as it was, had held against the blow.

 _'Yeah, he's good.'_

Hookwolf shook himself, a rippling motion accompanied by the shrieking of metal and the crackling lines of electricity that her staff had left over him sparked and faded. Taylor nodded to herself. Obviously, he was insulated in some way. Well, that just meant she had to make a gap.

Taylor made the first move this time, dashing towards Hookwolf, eyes fixed on his head. The head was usually a weakness, right? She feinted left, spun right to avoid one claw, ducked under the second and lunged her staff at the snout. Hookwolf twisted and turned, bringing his head away and swinging his body around, trying for a body slam that Taylor barely avoided by dropping flat. The blades missed her by an inch as she rolled under Hookwolf, coming to her feet just in time to see him rear slightly and plunge down, mouth gaping open like some nightmare blender. Taylor dropped her staff, feeling it land on her foot as she wound her hands together into a single fist, pushing her gauntlets to maximum and swinging.

The two handed uppercut caught Hookwolf just under the chin, melting and vaporising metal so that it splattered across Taylor in a brief, scalding rain that was fortunately blocked by the coat and armour. Taylor came out of the blow as Hookwolf reared back, half his muzzle gone to leave a ruin of scraping blades that were already reforming so Taylor kicked her staff up, catching it and shifting to make a two handed lunge that caught Hookwolf in his ruined maw.

Electricity crackled and this time it had an effect, Hookwolf tearing himself away in a jerking spasm and Taylor throwing herself back to avoid the flailing limbs and tail that screeched with the sound of shifting blades and metal tearing concrete.

 _'Well that was more effective.'_ She noted, pausing to take a breath and watch as Hookwolf rolled over, the electricity grounding away from his steely fur as he stood. Slowly the face reformed, though Taylor noted that it was a little squatter, a little shorter.

 _'Looks like there's some kind of energy requirement for regenerating. War of attrition, maybe?'_

 **"AS A LAST RESORT, PERHAPS. THE BLOW DEEPER INTO THE CONSTRUCT HAD A MORE SEVERE EFFECT, YOU JUST NEED TO GO DEEPER."**

 _'Go deeper. Right.'_

Easier said than done.

Hookwolf shook himself again, clashing blades together before he lifted his head and let loose a jarring, scraping howl, a mockery of a wolf's cry that tore at the air in a metallic, scratching cry. Taylor suppressed her wince and eyed her opponent, particularly how he stood.

Take out the legs. Take out the legs, make a hole, stun him until he was down. Or just beat on him until he ran out of energy and stopped regenerating. Either or.

And plan C? Well, she definitely had a plan C. She didn't like it, it wasn't ideal, but it was present. And it would definitely fuck up Hookwolf if she had to use it.

Hookwolf charged, a battering ram blender in the shape of a wolf rushing at her. Taylor ran to meet him, a hasty plan already forming in her mind. She feinted left, followed on the movement as Hookwolf twitched to his right, his instincts betraying him for an instant as she barely avoided his flank and lashed out at his leg with her gauntlet, a hissing gouge forming in his flesh. A land, roll, to her feet but Hookwolf was turning faster than she would have thought possible and his claw was lashing around.

Taylor jumped at the claw.

In defiance of all sense she leaped, knowing that she would never be able to backpedal enough to avoid the blow otherwise. Her boots met the swinging metal and the force hurled her back, sending her through the air with a sudden force that threw her into what was almost a backflip.

Taylor wasn't quite agile enough to pull it off.

She was halfway through the spin when she realised that the bladed claw was reaching towards her, morphing into something more like a hand as it reached for her arm. Panic burst through her as she realised that, even if her vambrace and gauntlet could withstand Hookwolf, the hand was too big. Her upper arm would be shredded, she was panicking a little bit and The Emperor wasn't really helping.

 **"ARE YOU A PSKYER OR NOT? YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO PROTECT YOURSELF, USE IT!"** The Emperor demanded as the claw reached for her. Taylor snarled inside her helmet.

 _'I've never managed it before!'_

 **"THEN HOPE YOU WORK WELL UNDER PRESSURE!"**

Taylor gave a mental howl of frustration as she forced her mind into the right frame, reaching out to the Warp- what energies she could reach out with. She had tested this, she thought it might work, it had never worked-

The claw closed on her arm, ripping through cloth. It should have rent flesh as easily as clothing, tearing through skin and muscle towards bone and spraying blood.

The screech of metal on metal greeted her ears even as she used the leverage to spin herself around and sever Hookwolfs' limb with her free gauntlet, falling through the air towards him with a snarl of exultant relief. Hookwolf wove away as fast as he could, jerking away from her but not quite enough. Taylor brought her arms down, gauntlets at full power and they seared through metal, carving two deep trenches through Hookwolfs side before he leaped away, leaving her to slam her fists into the ground. Taylor stood, tatters of cloth falling away from her right arm where the claw had ripped a long gash in her coat. A brief glance showed her what she already knew: the flesh of her arm replaced with silvery metal that moved just as it should had it been skin and muscle rather than steel.

 _'I got it.'_ She commented, almost dazed. One of the first exercises of the biokinesis school, turning flesh to a steel analogue, and she had achieved it where she had been failing in her attempts before.

 **"EVIDENTLY YOU DO WORK BETTER UNDER STRESS."**

 _'But how? I can barely lift a book, barely form a spark but I'm able to use biokinesis when I never could before?'_

 **"PERHAPS SOME MENTAL BLOCK HAS BEEN CHANGED. BUT THIS MAY NOT BE THE TIME FOR A DEBATE, TAYLOR."**

No. The Emperor was right, it wasn't time for a debate. At least this would give her some sort of edge, another tool to use. Being able to take hits far more effectively would always be useful.

It wasn't perfect though; she could already feel the strain on her massively weakened powers. If she kept this up for long she'd probably be back to bleeding from her eyes and haemorrhaging all over the place.

Her staff clattered to the ground a short distance away, dropped during her backflip.

 _'Alright.'_ Taylor decided.

 _'No time to try and wear him down, it isn't going to work.'_

 **"IT IS YOUR DECISION. PLAN C?"**

 _'Plan C.'_

Hookwolf was quickly healing, regenerating the metal, but Taylor thought it might be a little slower. Might be. It might also be her imagination. Still, she had a little bit of space and she intended to use it. She reached behind her, shifting her coat aside and going for something she had barely ever used: her prototype, one of a kind laspistol. The first piece of equipment she had built. In some ways she regretted that, since she had used the materials without thinking and then been unable to build any more of the smaller solar cells, but it was a boon in this case.

She drew the pistol in one smooth motion, firing off a spray of shots towards Hookwolf. The red beams lanced through the air with blinding speed, pock-marking concrete where they missed. A lot didn't miss, even with Hookwolfs sudden dodging away.

Taylor knew that Kid Win used laser pistols. They had different settings, able to be set to stun. Taylor didn't know how that was done: she presumed it was some Tinker bullshit. The Imperium pattern laspistol, on the other hand, simply transmitted thermal energy. A lot of thermal energy. On a fleshy target the heat transfer would flash-evaporate liquid in tissues, causing an explosion of steam that could easily take the limb off a human. Against the metal of Hookwolf, it simply melted the places it hit to slag.

Still, it did the job. Hookwolf veered away, darting into one of the tunnels beneath the arena in order to break her line of sight. Taylor swiftly turned, jumping and pulling herself up onto the arena seating, giving herself a little more space. She pulled the solar cell from the laspistol, grimacing at the waste of equipment she was about to commit.

Solar cells weren't especially unstable. They could be made unstable, given time, and it was possible to jury-rig a las weapon into an impromptu bomb, but generally the cells needed some kind of encouragement to explode. Taylor provided most of that encouragement by pressing the cell against a sparking gauntlet and letting the electricity run through it. She tucked the hopefully primed cell onto the stone next to her, picking up her pistol again before yanking the power wire from her right gauntlet and hastily attaching it to her pistol, thankful that she had been paranoid enough to include a port for a larger power pack to attach to her pistol. Crude as it was, it should suffice.

That grating, scraping howl came again. Taylor grimly picked up the power cell turned grenade and waited. She would only get one shot at this.

The obvious shot pun brought a thin smile to her face.

Hookwolf burst from the tunnel, charging towards her at full pelt. Taylor threw the cell in a lazy arc, tracing it with her eyes until it was in the right position. As it reached Hookwolf she raised her pistol and fired.

The line of energy struck the cell and it exploded with sudden, shocking force.

Taylor was already moving, ducking her head to keep most of the flash out of her eyes even as she slid the pistol back into its holster and jumped down. Hookwolf was roaring in pain and outrage, his howl sounding almost human through his ruined muzzle and shattered torso but Taylor didn't slow as she snatched up her staff and ran towards him, already feeling out the Warp to energise the protective runes on her armour.

She planted the staff in the torn mess of blades that had been the front half of Hookwolf and triggered the final feature built into the staff.

Every scrap of energy left in the staff discharged in a crackling orb of electricity, flowing through the air and consuming Hookwolf and Taylor. Taylor smelled ozone, tasted it almost as she gritted her teeth and forced power into the protective runes, a headache slamming into her skull and nausea rising in her throat. The orb seemed to last forever, even though it was merely seconds before it dissipated.

Hookwolf fell with a tremendous crash of blades, twitching weakly but unconscious and Taylor couldn't stem the rush of relief as she leaned on her staff and tried to suppress that pain behind her eyes and the exhaustion that flooded her.

"Holy fucking shit."

 _'Oh, what now?'_ Taylor questioned, even her thoughts sounding tired. She turned, carefully keeping herself upright to banish any illusion of weakness in case she faced some other foe. She hoped it wasn't another foe. She wasn't really in fighting trim right now.

 _'Oh hey it's the Undersiders. You think we can take them?'_

 **"NO."**

The Emperor sounded even more monotone than normal. Taylor nodded mentally.

 _'Yeah I didn't think so.'_

Taylor thought about giving the three Undersiders a wave, but then re-thought. If they really were here to fight she should give a more impressive opening.

"Hey guys. Is it just me or am I basically a walking _deus ex machina_ for you nowadays?"

Maybe she should have gone for the silent and brooding look. More intimidating. The stares were a little less impressed and a little more incredulous now.

"Yeah, I'm gonna assume that you're here for Hellhound? She's over there." Taylor said, waving airily- or woozily, she wasn't really sure- in the general direction of the tunnel she had stashed Hellhound in. Grue slowly moved towards the tunnel. Regent didn't move, still staring at Hookwolf. Tattletale hopped down into the arena and strolled towards her.

"So, you knocked out Bitch?" she asked. Taylor took a moment to remember that Bitch was the name Hellhound used- she really must be tired if she was getting slow. She shrugged.

"Yeah, well. Didn't want her getting in the way."

Tattletale turned around, obviously eyeing the gashes in the concrete and the general disarray. There was even some gore splatter from the dead dogs. It was, in Taylors opinion, really very picturesque. Just needed some skulls and some gold and The Emperor would feel like he was back in the Imperium.

Taylor ignored the grumbling in the back of her mind at that barb.

"Yeah. I guess you wouldn't want her getting in the way."

Tattletale smiled brightly, turning back to Taylor and reaching forwards. Ostensibly it was a pat on the shoulder, but Taylor wasn't yet too tired to miss the piece of paper that Tattletale tucked into the top of her breastplate.

"You really need to stop doing this, though. You're making everyone look much worse in comparison."

Taylor gave a brief chuckle.

"I can't help it. I'm just that good." She replied. Tattletale beamed at her before walking back to the wall and hopping back out of the arena. Grue emerged from the shadows a moment later, Hellhound slung over his shoulder in a firemans carry.

"She'll wake up fairly soon. I didn't hit her with anything more than a taser." Taylor offered. She got a stiff nod in response, but at least he wasn't hostile. The Undersiders halted in a line, looking down at her. Taylor licked her lips and shifted her staff, fully aware that at the moment it was just a piece of wood. Grue spoke.

"Thanks." He said, gruffly. Taylor blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"Thanks. For keeping Bitch out of the fight."

Taylor shrugged, a little baffled.

"Well, I am a hero. I'm supposed to stop people from getting hurt as much as I can."

"It's still appreciated."

Well, that was nice. Although Taylor still wasn't really sure where they went from here. Apparently she wasn't the only one.

"So…are we just gonna walk away? 'Cause usually there's the whole thing of heroes and villains fighting." Regent said. Taylor was glad that he had voiced it, it meant that she didn't have to. Tattletale was wearing a smile that was a little less beaming and a little more smug, like she already knew what was going to happen. She probably did know, Taylor reflected: while Tattletale apparently had trouble understanding Taylor's powers Taylor herself was probably easier to predict from past actions.

"I'm going to say that we just leave and it stays nice and friendly." Grue said. His skull-painted bicycle helmet turned to Taylor.

"Unless you disagree?"

Taylor smiled, shaking her head slightly.

"Nope. One villain is quite enough for today." She said, masking her tiredness with cheeriness. Grue nodded and motioned to Regent and Tattletale, backing away. About halfway away they turned their backs. Taylor let her chin tilt down.

"I'm sure I'll see you again soon, anyway." She murmured. She waited until she could no longer sense them before she let her legs give way and slide down to the ground.

 _'Ow.'_

 **"NOT THAT I WANT TO INTERRUPT YOUR REST, BUT PERHAPS YOU SHOULD CONTACT SOMEONE BEFORE HOOKWOLF AWAKENS."**

 _'Yeah, I know.'_

Still sitting with her back to the concrete steps, Taylor rummaged through her pockets for her phone. She felt a momentary alarm as her fingers blindly searched through the inner pockets of her coat, suddenly cognizant of the risk that her phone might have gotten broken, but luck was still with her and she retrieved the device intact. She stared blankly at it for a moment before sighing and gently placing it on the ground next to her, reaching up with slow fingers and tugging her helmet off. Hard to speak through layers of protective ceramite, after all. She made the call.

"Hey Glory." She said when the phone was answered.

"Circ? Wait, what's wrong?"

Taylor blinked.

"Wrong?" she asked slowly, suddenly realised that her speech was a little slower than normal. Tiredness. The running and the jumping and the psyker powers had really worn her out. Mainly the psyker powers, she estimated.

"Circ. What happened?"

"Oh. Oh, y'know. Wandered around. Found Hookwolf. Got into a bit of a scrap."

It sounded like Glory was running. Taylor briefly wondered if she should have tried to clarify.

"Where are you?" Glory snapped, her tone so thick with concern that Taylor told her. The phone disconnected almost immediately after, leaving Taylor blinking stupidly at the device.

 _'She thought I need help, didn't she?'_

 **"QUITE PROBABLY."**

 _'Oops.'_

 **"SHE'S PROBABLY GOING TO CRASH THROUGH THE ROOF, READY TO FIGHT HOOKWOLF TO SAVE YOU."**

 _'She's a good friend.'_

Taylor let her hand drop, laying her phone on the ground next to her. She should probably pick up her helmet and put it back on, but she was tired. Just too tired. Maybe later.

Glory came through the roof like a wrecking ball. Taylor eyed her descent, noting with amusement that she came down in the classic tri-point hero pose but stopped before she actually hit the ground. That was some fine flying control, she had to admit.

"Circaetus! Circ? Where are you?" Glory demanded. Taylor slowly raised a hand.

"Over here."

"Circ! Oh my God, are you alright? Where's Hookwolf?"

Taylor let her hand drop a little, pointing towards where Hookwolf still lay. Glory turned and froze.

"Circ. Is that Hookwolf, lying unconscious?"

"Mm-hm."

"What happened?" Glory demanded. Taylor offered a fraction of a shrug.

"Came here looking for trouble. Found more than I expected. Won anyway."

"And you wrecked the place doing it. Are you alright?" Glory hovered closer to Taylor, concern flashing on her face. Taylor leaned her head back, watching two other white-dressed figures come through the hole Glory had left with quiet contemplation.

"Tired. Really tired. Not hurt though." She said. Glory didn't seem entirely convinced, landing in front of her and inspecting her more closely. The inspection didn't take very long: Taylor suspected it was because it was quite obvious that she had no external injuries. Any injury would have required damage to her armour beyond the superficial.

"Christ, Circ. What did you do to your armour?" Glory asked, a hand brushing across Taylor's breastplate before holding up darkly stained fingers in front of Taylor's face.

"Explosion. Electricity. Take y' pick." Taylor mumbled, head drooping slowly. Glory leaned in suddenly, catching Taylor by the shoulder and shaking her.

"Circ? Circ, stay awake, ok?"

Taylor let out a long breath in a sigh, blinking tired eyes.

"Yeah yeah, I hear you." She muttered sourly, bringing a hand up to rub across the exposed portion of her face. Glory nodded and sat back on her heels, crouched down so that they were more or less eye to eye.

"Ok. Have you called the PRT?"

Taylor shook her head, forcing herself back into a semblance of wakefulness.

"Nope. Only have Dauntless' number, didn't really want to ring him. Also really tired."

"I'll ring them, then. Er- how tired is really tired?"

Taylor smiled, fully aware that it was hidden behind her scarf.

"Last time I was this tired it was after fighting Lung." She replied dryly.

"After- you nearly ended up in a coma after fighting Lung!"

"Yeah, I know. Don't look so worried, I just need a nap." Taylor reassured. Glory didn't look entirely convinced but she stood up again, pulling out her phone and turning briefly to the other two members of New Wave- Taylor thought that it was the other two around their age. Shielder and Laserdream? She thought that was right. She just sat as Glory talked, keeping herself busy staying awake. She really needed a nap, though she was feeling that less as time passed. Still not up to fighting Hookwolf again, but she was probably up to standing on her own.

"PRT and Protectorate are on their way. Best guess it'll be Armsmaster first, he'll probably break every speed limit to get here." Glory reported. Taylor looked up at her.

"There's some kind of irony in that, isn't there?"

"Probably. You need a hand up?"

Taylor considered.

"I might. I might even need to be carried out of here."

Glory snorted.

"It'd be bridal style, you know that?"

Taylor laughed.

"Oh well, better not give the shippers any more ammunition." She said dryly, leaning across to pick up her helmet. She stood slowly, leaning on her staff, but once she gained her feet she was steady enough. She pulled her helmet back on, fastening it under her chin and giving Glory a brief nod.

"I'd leave it off, but I don't think I'm quite friendly enough with Armsmaster to be so forward. He might get uncomfortable."

Glory rolled her eyes.

"Don't tease him too much, Circ."

Taylor just leaned on her staff, cocking her head slightly as she faintly heard the roar of an engine, growing louder.

"Don't worry, Glory. I'll be nice."

"That's actually what worries me."

The engine roar reached a peak before it abruptly cut out, being replaced after a moment by heavy bootsteps.

 _'If he's such a good Tinker, why is his bike so loud?'_ Taylor wondered.

 **"INTIMIDATION? IF HE CAN MAKE IT OBVIOUS THAT HE'S COMING MANY LOWER LEVEL CRIMINALS MAY SIMPLY FLEE BEFORE HE ARRIVES."**

 _'Winning his battles without ever needing to fight them, you think? Not a bad plan, though it seems futile to me. After all, what's the good in preventing a crime if they just go somewhere else and do it there?'_

 **"THAT MAY BE A QUESTION BETTER ADDRESSED TO ARMSMASTER."**

 _'Maybe some other time.'_

Taylor set her gaze to the door as it opened and Armsmaster strode in, his stride steady, halberd ready, head turning left and right to scan the room. Taylor ignored that, instead taking in the form of his armour. It was surprisingly sleek to her eyes, dark blue, lacking the bulk of Imperium designs. She suspected that it wouldn't be as durable as her own design- though on second thought that was hard to be certain of, given that his Tinker power essentially allowed him to ram a ridiculous amount of tech into a space far too small for it. But her research indicated that there was nothing on Earth Bet that even approached Terminator armour and that the Space Marine armour was beyond most. But then came the question of material. No matter the design, if Armsmaster used some kind of titanium-steel sci-fi alloy for his armour her plasteel and ceramite wouldn't match up. Not without some serious work put into improvement.

In the back of her mind Taylor began to mull over possibilities to get access to better materials. Maybe she could work out some kind of deal with the Protectorate and PRT? Access to her power cells had to be worth something, right? But that could wait until after she had got a patent, legally sealed her control. Not that she didn't trust them, but…well, there was only one place that train of thought ended.

 **"PERHAPS YOU MIGHT CONSIDER THAT THE POWER CELLS ARE NOT OUR ONLY OPTION? AFTER ALL, THEY ARE JUST THE PINNACLE OF A TECHNOLOGY THAT ALREADY EXISTS UPON THIS PLANET, IN THIS TIME."**

 _'A technology…solar panels. They're just incredibly effective solar panels, coupled to batteries. That means that you know how to create solar panels that far outperform the ones currently in use but aren't almost impossibly suited to powering weapons.'_

Taylor felt a sense of agreement from The Emperor and stored that thought away. It was definitely something to look into, but later. She had to deal with Armsmaster first.

"Where is Hookwolf?" he demanded, striding towards Taylor. She raised an eyebrow behind her helmet and pointed to the fallen villain. Armsmaster turned on his heel without another word, hefting his halberd. Taylor saw a thin spike pop out of the bottom before Armsmaster pressed it into Hookwolfs flesh.

 _'Tranquiliser? And wow. I had heard that he was brusque, but this really takes the cake.'_

She considered focusing her powers to get a feel of his mental state but decided against it. There was still a faint fuzziness in her skull that hinted towards her already coming close to overstressing her powers and she was tired. She was curious as to Armsmasters mental state, but not quite that curious. Armsmaster walked back across to her. Taylor remained seated on the steps, feeling Glory settle from a hover behind her. Taylor idly wondered what the significance of Glory standing at her back was.

"The two of you did this?" Armsmaster asked, gesturing around. Taylor contemplated a remark on whether it really looked like that, considering the state of her clothes and Glory's pristine appearance, but decided against it. She probably didn't need to make an enemy of the leader of the Brockton Bay Protectorate team.

"Just me and Hookwolf, actually." She said, tilting her head up. Armsmaster was fairly tall and standing close enough that he nearly loomed over her. Some kind of intimidation tactic? It seemed unlikely. Armsmaster had to know that she was friendly and that she had stared down more frightening things than him.

"I'll need you to come to the headquarters for a full debriefing and explanation." He informed her in a clipped tone, turning quickly on his heel and walking away. He was just tilting his head and talking into what Taylor presumed was a communicator on his helmet when Taylor spoke again, ostensibly to Glory but loudly enough for him to hear.

"You know, I used to have some Armsmaster underwear. Alexandria was the dream, but he was pretty cool. Gotta say though, as I've grown up I've become a lot fonder of heroes like Mouse Protector or Dauntless."

It was petty and probably stupid of her, but she took plenty of satisfaction from the minute way Armsmaster's shoulder tightened.

 _'Prickly bastard.'_

 **"MUST YOU ANTAGONISE EVERYONE WE MEET?"**

 _'I think it's purely habit by now.'_

It was possible that she might be being a little harsh on him, Taylor conceded. But she was tired and achy and really, there was no need to be so curt. She'd try and be more pleasant to him in the future, she told herself. Just…not right now.

The PRT headquarters that they travelled to was just as unwelcoming as Taylor remembered. Well, perhaps it was unfair to say unwelcoming. It wasn't, exactly. Rather it was…sterile. It was a place of business, with a strange air that combined military and office aspects. Maybe she was just in a bad mood? She was still tired and the ride here, in a standard PRT van, had been uncomfortable both physically and emotionally.

The PRT troopers had been almost completely silent. It had been a little unnerving, especially with most of her equipment out of commission and her powers still neutered.

The room that she was shown to was practically an interrogation room, but one that had clearly been altered to try and add comfort. There was actually carpet on the floor, the chairs were fairly comfortable, but the walls remained bare metal, the lights were somewhat glaring and the table was steel framed and bolted to the floor. Armsmaster sat opposite her. To his credit, he seemed apologetic for the conditions. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all, she considered as she went through the entirety of her engagement with Hookwolf. Halfway in she paused as the door opened and a figure in a strikingly red costume entered. Assault, bearing a tray with three gently steaming paper cups on it.

"I come bearing coffee." Announced the cheerfully jovial Hero, beaming happily. Armsmaster let out a tiny sigh, almost as though the mere sight of Assault tired him. Maybe it was the attitude? Taylor couldn't see why it would be tiring, though.

Armsmaster turned slightly, accepting a cup with just a brief nod of thanks. Maybe it wasn't just her, and he was curt with everyone? Assault seemed utterly unconcerned, plonking the tray on the table and pushing a cup towards her with a questioning expression. She shook her head, tapping her helmet in explanation.

"Ah, a terrible design flaw." Assault lamented, his tone entirely at odds with his words as he flopped down in the seat next to Armsmaster and slurped from his cup. Taylor offered a shrug.

"I'll have to build a straw into the next one." She said, entirely deadpan. Assault grinned, lifting a finger to point at her.

"Now there's an idea I can get behind. Have you ever tried drinking coffee through a straw, though? Now that's a dangerous occupation, even compared to being a Hero."

"Is it? I've never noticed- for either."

Armsmaster cut them both off with a quiet cough.

"Must you distract her, Assault?"

"Sorry." Assault said. Predictably, he didn't sound sorry at all. Armsmaster showed even more signs of being used to the other hero, not reacting to it at all. Instead he took a long sip from his own drink before lifting his head. If they had been unmasked each would probably have been meeting the others gaze. As it was, they were simply looking at emotionless masks or helmets.

"You entered the room, seeing Hookwolf facing down Hellhound. You knocked her unconscious and proceeded to face Hookwolf alone. Why was that?"

Taylor propped one elbow on the table, resting her chin on her fisted hand.

"Mainly because I thought she would be a hindrance. I didn't want her to die, I'm a hero. I'm supposed to prevent needless deaths. But she doesn't seem reasonable at the best of times and I didn't want to have to spend time preventing her from getting killed because she was reckless."

"Sounds like she's speaking plain sense to me, Armsy." Assault intervened. For a moment the corners of Armsmasters mouth turned down but his voice remained completely level.

"I see. Sound reasoning. Please, continue."

Taylor did as she was bid, talking through her fight with Hookwolf. Assault and Armsmaster listened patiently, Armsmaster occasionally taking notes- she made sure not to go into detail on her abilities, just giving the minimum- until she reached her desperate act of exploding her laspistol power cell.

"You detonated the power source for your pistol? Are they normally so unstable?" Armsmaster asked, his voice suddenly far more intense as he leaned forwards. Taylor blinked at the sudden vehemence but supposed it made sense. He was a Tinker, after all, and they would assume that the sources came from a Tinker ability.

"No. They're normally very stable. I intentionally damaged that one and then turned the pistol on it to induce a detonation. Ordinarily it just wouldn't work." She replied levelly. Armsmaster heard her out, slowly leaning back into his seat.

"You understand that we may not be able to take your word for it."

"I understand that, but you have to understand that I'm not about to just turn over my tech to you. I have my secrets too." She responded. Armsmaster brought one armoured hand up towards his chin in what seemed like a thoughtless gesture of contemplation.

"I believe that, so long as you are not selling it, that would be acceptable. I'd like to look at it, still. Could we arrange an inspection? I would be willing to allow you to supervise." He offered. Taylor thought about it, concluding that a non-committal answer would be best. Perhaps after she had made sure that her designs couldn't be stolen without legal repercussions. She supposed that she intended to sell to the PRT and Protectorate at some point, trust had to start somewhere.

"Perhaps. There are a few things I need to look into first, but after that something could be arranged." She allowed. Armsmaster gave a nod.

"And after you detonated the power source?" he prompted, just a moment later. Taylor dryly reflected that he really wasn't the best at social conventions. Maybe it was an advantage in his position, cutting right through inevitable political bullshit?

Somehow, she suspected that it wasn't.

"I built my staff with the ability to discharge its entire battery in a single blast, in case I needed something really big at any point. The cell had done a lot of damage to Hookwolf so I ran towards him, got in close and triggered the discharge. It acted like a giant taser and knocked him out." She explained. Assault coughed and raised his hand.

"You know, it sounds a lot like you were close enough to be hit too." He said. Taylor tilted her head down.

"My armour is electricity proofed. The discharge burned out the proofing, but it protected me."

"And then you contacted Glory Girl, who rushed to your location and then contacted the PRT?" Armsmaster questioned. Taylor shook her head.

"The Undersiders turned up to rescue Hellhound, right after I'd beaten Hookwolf. I just let them take her: I wasn't in any state to take them on."

Armsmaster nodded, tapping at his pad for a moment. Taylor eyed him and waited until he looked up.

"Thank you for cooperating. I believe there should be no problems, but Director Piggot will want to talk to you. Assault? If you could remain with Circaetus and take her to the Director when required."

Assault nodded. Armsmaster stood abruptly, tucking the pad under one arm. He offered Taylor a stiff nod before he strode from the room. Assault briefly gazed after the senior Hero before turning back to Taylor and beaming.

"I think you really made an impression on him!" he said happily. Taylor shrugged.

"He didn't seem to like me too much."

"Ah don't worry, he's like that with everyone. You sassed him though, didn't you? I recognised the frown he was wearing, it's the 'Assault made fun of me' one. And I haven't been near him in ages!"

Taylor smiled tiredly.

"I might have done." She admitted. It was hard to say no to Assault. He was like a puppy. A big, enthusiastic puppy with formidable powers, but still. Assault bounced to his feet, draining his coffee. He looked around in a conspiratorial fashion before snatching up the cup he had brought for Taylor and draining that, closely followed by whatever remained of the one he had given to Armsmaster. Taylor watched with mingled amusement and alarm- an Assault hopped up on caffeine promised to be hilarious, but she'd rather be out of the danger zone.

"Come on, there's no need to sit around in here looking grim. I know! We'll go see the Wards." Assault announced.

"Shouldn't we just wait here, like Armsmaster implied?" Taylor asked, in a half-hearted attempt to deter Assault from whatever madness he was planning. Then again, considering that in that case she would be stuck in a room with him and bereft of the amusement that would undoubtedly ensue from Assault interacting with the Wards, other Heroes, PRT troopers…the decision was an easy one.

"Then again he just said that I had to stay with you. Let's go." She said cheerfully. Assault gave her a beaming grin and bounded to his feet, leading the way out of the door. Taylor followed more sedately, still aching even if she was no longer quite so exhausted.

 _'You think he was sent to keep an eye on me on purpose? Coffee doesn't work that quickly.'_

 **"HE SEEMS TO BE AN EXUBERANT TYPE REGARDLESS. BUT YES, I DO BELIEVE THAT HE WAS SENT ON PURPOSE. PROBABLY SOME MOVEMENT TOWARDS ANOTHER RECRUITMENT ATTEMPT."**

 _'It's easier to recruit a friend than it is to recruit someone you barely know. Unless, of course, you're blackmailing them.'_

 **"I THINK THAT IS UNLIKELY TO HAPPEN."**

Taylor followed Assault through the corridors, absently noting how he called out to people and, more often than not, received a reply. It seemed like her guess was accurate, that Assault was popular here.

"I gotta say, I admire what you did." Assault called over his shoulder.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. It takes guts to see that Hookwolf robbed you of a win, and then go out and beat him to a pulp in return. Vindictive. Don't get me wrong though, I like it!"

"I wasn't looking for him. I'm not that stupid." Taylor responded. Assault turned to face her, now walking backwards.

"Yeah? Well, maybe. I guess you would have called in backup if you'd gone after him intentionally. But you were still going after his stuff, right?"

Taylor shrugged.

"So maybe I'm a little bit stupid."

Assault grinned.

"Don't take it as a problem, kid. If you'd called me I'd be right beside you. Getting our hands on Skidmark and Squealer would have been a coup. Dauntless wasn't happy that we lost them, I thought he was going to go out after the Empire all on his own."

"I thought being a hothead was exclusive to vigilantes and villains, not fully paid up members of the Protectorate." Taylor teased. Assault chuckled as he spun around.

"You might be surprised. Though I maybe wouldn't voice that around the Wards. Some of them can get, y'know, touchy."

The two of them came to a halt next to a sliding door. Assault pressed a large button next to the door and Taylor faintly heard a buzzer sound.

"To let the Wards know that someone who doesn't know their identities is coming, so they can put masks on." Assault explained. Taylor nodded.

"I'm surprised that they have a base here. I would have expected them to be quartered out in the Bay Headquarters."

"They Bay- oh, you mean The Rig? Yeah, really they should be but the Wards here are overseen by the PRT so they gotta be close by. Plus it's good for PR to have them close at hand for tours and stuff. But really that's just icing on the cake since it means they aren't underfoot and causing trouble for all us grown up heroes. Was tired of having to hide my beer. Ain't that right, half-pint?"

The last part of the sentence was addressed to Vista, who had opened the door and was peering out.

"Assault? What are you- oh, Circaetus. Hi!"

"Hey." Taylor responded, raising a hand in a lazy gesture of greeting. Assault leaned his head against the wall, cushioned on his arm as he exaggeratedly sulked over being all but ignored. Taylor and Vista both paid him no mind.

"What are you doing here? I thought you didn't like this building?" Vista asked. Taylor shrugged.

"I got into a bit of a scrap, Armsmaster dragged me in here. I didn't even get to see a doctor."

"Wait, you what?" Assault asked. Taylor thoughtfully tapped the chin of her helmet with a forefinger.

"Of course, I did tell him that I was fine and that I wasn't going to take my armour off. Think he realised that if I'd been hurt it would have damaged my armour."

"You got in a fight so bad that you needed a doctor? And what happened to your armour?" Vista demanded, one hand swiping at Taylor's breastplate and coming away stained with soot. Taylor shrugged.

"She decided that since Hookwolf took away her chance to bring in Squealer and Skidmark she'd go after a bigger prize. Got a call a while ago telling us that Circaetus had gotten into it with Hookwolf and needed picked up." Assault revealed, with what Taylor considered needless relish.

"You got into a fight with Hookwolf, are you mad?" Vista demanded. Taylor raised a hand and wobbled it slightly.

"Jury's out. Though in my defence, I didn't intend to fight Hookwolf. He was just there."

Taylor thought for a moment, leaning to try and look over Vista's shoulder.

"Though I'm surprised you didn't know. Didn't Glory come up here? I would have thought she would have told you."

Vista shook her head.

"She just said she was here for a while and came to see Gallant."

Evidently Glory had decided that discretion might be the better part of valour here. Taylor could appreciate it. Vista was shaking her hand free of the soot that had come off Taylor's armour- Taylor suspected that she would need a new set now, since the outer layer had crumbled under the force of the runes. That was unfortunate, but she could overcome the problem easily enough.

"Well, you might as well come in if you're staying for a while." Vista added. Taylor glanced at Assault, who grandly gestured for her to enter. Taylor shook her head at him before following Vista into the room.

 _'This place is actually quite nice.'_ She noted, turning her head left and right to take it all in. It was comfortable, definitely, putting her in mind of some sort of break-room more than an office. There weren't that many Wards inside: Aegis and Browbeat on a sofa in front of a tv, Kid Win at a computer, Gallant next to Glory in a corner. Vista, then, and which other Wards were there? Sophia was the obvious answer but Taylor was quite glad that she wasn't there. Clockblocker. Though that was it, she thought. She raised a hand in greeting to the Wards and Glory as they turned to the door.

"Hey."

Aegis stood, his own hand rising in a motion very much like her own wave, but Taylor lost sight of him as an exuberant blur thumped into her and lifted her off her feet.

"Circ! I'm glad to see that you're alright!" Glory cheered happily. Taylor blinked in bafflement, extremely glad that her armour was good at resisting compression as her friend did a whirl in the air and hugged her with unusual enthusiasm.

"Uh."

"Sorry!" Gallant called, hurrying over.

"We were experimenting with how my powers interact with her aura and it kind of got out of control." He explained hurriedly. Taylor looked down at him, looked at Glory's beaming expression, back to Gallant. There was only one thing to say to that, really.

"Experimenting with power interactions, eh? Is that what kids are calling it these days?"

"Aww, Circ! Why do you have to say that?" Glory asked, pouting. Taylor made the tiny shrugging motion that was all she could manage.

"There are some openings that are so easy I'd be ashamed not to take them."

Glory was still pouting as she lowered her height a little.

"So mean." She muttered, letting Taylor go. Taylor dropped the few feet to the ground, landing easily.

"So, you mingled your auras and managed to make her extra exuberant?" Taylor asked, grinning and making sure to put as much suggestiveness as possible into her voice. From his tone and posture she guessed that Gallant was blushing. Poor, naïve boy.

"Pretty much." He admitted. Taylor tilted her head back to Glory, who was now humming to herself and dancing on the ceiling.

 _'We may have to revise exuberant to high. Do you think there's anything we can do?'_

 **"IF WE HAD THE FULL SCOPE OF OUR POWERS IT WOULD LIKELY BE CHILDS PLAY. AS IT IS, PROBABLY NOT."**

 _'Helpful as always.'_

 **"I DO TRY. ALLOW ME SOME TIME TO THINK UPON IT."**

"So do we just have to wait for it to wear off? You can't zap her with a sad beam and cancel it out?" she asked Gallant. He shook his head.

"I don't really have control over the emotions in my beams. Plus we don't know what effect it might have." He said. Taylor watched Glory happily bob around, amused.

"Do we even know how long it'll take to wear off?"

"Not that long. We'll just have to wait it out. Unless you have something that can help?"

Taylor shook her head.

"Even I don't know how my powers work. Even if I'm gaining new ones based on the people I'm around, I've no idea what it might turn out to be." She lied. That little theory had been a goldmine, really. Especially as people were so good at fitting facts into a theory that they liked. The thought of her as some kind of pseudo-Eidolon whose powers were based on Capes she had met- Eidoleech, she decided- seemed a remarkably popular one. Taylor wondered if anyone had guessed something closer to the truth. Then again, 'Predominantly psychic who draws her powers from an extra dimension fuelled by the collective emotions of living beings with an unrelated immortality ability' was a lot more complicated and out of context. But she was getting distracted.

"Maybe we should tie a weight to her leg, like a balloon." Assault suggested, his tone insinuating that he was enjoying this little fiasco far too much. Taylor glanced at him and shook her head.

"Yes, you should try that. Make sure to get a good strong thread in case she decides to go flying and tie it tightly to yourself. I'll get a camera." She said cheerfully. Assault seemed to consider it.

"Hmm…cut price airlines…" he mused. Taylor eyed him doubtfully before wandering off to talk to Aegis. He had reclined back into the comfortable looking sofa, evidently deciding to spare himself the inevitable headache. Gallant could corral Glory, Taylor decided. She ignored the way that The Emperor was mumbling in her head as he ran through ways she might be able to affect Glory in favour of nodding a greeting to Aegis.

"Long time no see." She greeted, hovering a little. The sofa looked pretty comfortable, but Taylor was suddenly aware of how dirty she was, her armour and coat smeared with ash, mud and even some blood. She would feel terrible if she ruined the cushions. Fortunately, Aegis noticed her calamity.

"Don't worry, the furniture is all stain proof. Something Armsmaster picked up or made I think, you won't make a mess."

"It might be the first time." Taylor deadpanned as she carefully sat, keeping a solid distance between herself and Aegis. Ah, social awkwardness. Evidently her old foe was not yet vanquished. Thankfully Aegis either didn't notice or didn't make a point of it as she sank happily into the cushions.

"If I'd known that the headquarters were so plush I might have been more tempted by those Wards membership offers." She noted. Aegis coughed in amusement.

"Now there's a disappointing thought. All of us would have been delighted if you joined." He said. Taylor wagged a finger at him.

"Keep that temptation away from me." She noted. Aegis smiled widely. He had a nice smile, Taylor idly noted. Very photogenic. She turned her eyes from his face briefly, waving a hand at Gallant and Glory.

"So, aren't you supposed to do something about that? Since you're the Wards leader?" she asked. Aegis made a face.

"Probably, yeah. But, well…"

"You can already see the futility of trying?"

"Just about."

Taylor eyed Glory, now playing something like tag with Gallant. Yeah, there was something a little stronger than happiness in there. Some weird interaction between powers, probably. It was interesting that it could happen, though.

 **"I MAY HAVE FOUND A SOLUTION, SHOULD YOU WISH TO ATTEMPT IT."** The Emperor announced. Taylor raised an eyebrow, continuing to make minor small talk with Aegis.

 _'Oh?'_

 **"YES. I AM SURPRISED THAT I DID NOT THINK OF IT BEFORE. NOW THAT YOU ARE ABLE TO ACCESS BIOMANCY, WE CAN MANIPULATE THE BIOLOGY OF OTHERS. AS SUCH, WE MAY BE ABLE TO ALTER GLORY GIRLS BRAIN CHEMISTRY TO RETURN TO NORMAL."**

 _'Or give her a seizure. Seems a little risky to attempt so early on, even assuming that it would even work. Does Gallants power actually affect brain chemistry? If he hit us with a sad beam could we counter it with a flood of endorphins?'_

 **"AN UNFORTUNATELY GOOD QUESTION. ALTHOUGH I MUST POINT OUT, SHOULD WE ACCIDENTALLY INDUCE A SEIZURE SHE WOULD AT LEAST NO LONGER BE FLOATING AROUND EXUBERANTLY."**

 _'True and yet probably counterproductive. Wait. We can affect people by touching them? Could we use that to substitute for the old knockout touch?'_

 **"WITH PRACTICE. BUT YOU ARE THINKING TOO SMALL. CONSIDER MY KNOWLEDGE OF CHEMISTRY, TAYLOR."**

 _'Your knowledge of…we can do almost anything. Truth serums. Poisons. Antidotes. So many options, we can even- how extensive can our changes be?'_

 **"SOMETHING TO DISCUSS LATER, PERHAPS. BUT YES, YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK."**

Taylor returned the entirety of her attention to Aegis, slightly surprised that she didn't seem to have offended him. Evidently her ability to multitask conversations was improving.

"So, I can't help but notice that a few of you guys are missing." She said. Aegis nodded.

"Clock, Shadow Stalker and Chariot are all out on a PR thing. Telling kids to stay in school and stuff, though they should be back fairly soon." He explained, checking his watch. He glanced up to Taylor after checking the time, offering an explanation for that as well.

"Kid is on the console at the moment, but his time is nearly up."

A wry grin flashed across his features.

"The downside of being an employed hero, office time."

"And just like that my interest in joining the Wards plummets." Taylor said, nodding. Aegis chuckled, twisting around in his seat.

"Kid! Time's up. Vista, you take over."

Vista, who had been attempting to help Gallant corral Glory, gave a brief salute and wandered across to Kid Win, taking his place at the computer in the corner. Kid Win immediately started to walk over to them.

"I think Kid wants to talk to you. He's been practically hopping on the spot over your gauntlets ever since he learned about them." Aegis said. Taylor looked down at her gauntlets. They weren't that amazing, were they? Then again the only other Tinker on the PRT team was Armsmaster. Taylor could see why Kid Win might want to talk to someone else about tech. Well, she could probably keep up. Kid Win slowed as he approached, the bounce in his walk fading just a fraction.

"Circaetus, hi." He said. Taylor waved in reply.

"Hey. How's it going?" she asked cheerfully. The least she could do was put him at ease, she thought. He did cease his fidgeting, so she figured that it had more or less worked.

"Hey." He said, a little lamely.

"I was just, um, wondering if-"

"You could take a look at my gear?" Taylor pre-empted, amused. Kid fidgeted for a moment before she shrugged.

"Sure."

The grin that spread across her face would probably have sent Kid Win running were it not for the scarf and helmet hiding it.

"I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours."

Taylor put a lot of effort into getting the line just right in tone. Kid Win went crimson in an instant, mouth opening in shock. Aegis started to say something, but his voice croaked halfway through as Taylor rose smoothly to her feet, almost nose to nose with Kid. She leaned a fraction closer.

"After all, I always get pretty excited over new tech." she followed up. Just as Kid seemed on the verge of being completely broken Taylor clapped him on both shoulders, causing him to jump away.

"Buck up, Kiddo, I'm just teasing." She told him happily. Assault, having wandered back across for a moment, snorted in amusement, barely swallowing a cackle.

"Stop teasing." The hero told her, though his wide grin somewhat diluted the order. Aegis cleared his throat, sitting up.

"Somehow I'm not surprised by that." He admitted. Taylor shrugged.

"Some opportunities just shouldn't be missed."

Kid Win coughed, his blush receding slowly as he managed to regain his balance.

"Is that why you seem so happy to encourage every single shipper on PHO?" he asked. Taylor chuckled.

"Keeping an eye on me, Kiddo? And sure, why not. It amuses me to see them speculate."

"You're a little bit twisted, you know that?" Assault said, though he sounded amused. Taylor shrugged.

"Aren't we all?" she asked philosophically before she returned her attention to Kid.

"So, what part of my tech do you want to look at first? Can't promise too much, since I'm supposed to be meeting with Piggot fairly soon."

"I- er, I mainly work on lasers I guess. But you seem to be more about electricity?" Kid asked, sounding a little doubtful. Taylor considered. Yes, she did in fact have a decent knowledge of laser weaponry, but it was all Imperium. As she understood it Kid Win's lasers could be set to stun, to burn, to cut, so on and so on, whereas hers were lethal. No questions asked. And more than that, they were simple. She was almost tempted, simply to give herself and the Emperor a chance to analyse the way Tinkertech worked but…she didn't really want to tip her hand. Maybe power sources would be better? It wasn't as though her power cells could be easily replicated without blueprints and these were far from the best versions, even ignoring the microfusion reactors she would be able to build if she only had the equipment.

"I do have some laser weapons, but they're pretty basic and I burned mine out shooting at Hookwolf. How about this: we take a look at my gauntlets and the power source I use, I can get a look at the power sources you use in your armour. A trade."

Kid took a moment to think about that before nodding.

"That sounds fine. I've got a workshop over there," -An arm waved in the direction of a door- "So if you don't mind-ah."

Now there was an opening. A big old opening for more teasing, but Taylor decided that she had done enough to the poor kid for the day.

"Lead on." She said cheerfully, following Kid and ignoring Assaults teasing shout to leave the door open. She did leave the door open, as it happened, but mainly because she preferred to know what was going on. For instance, she would very much prefer advanced warning if Sophia was to burst in. Much as Taylor told herself that she had gotten over the whole bullying campaign thing, she was honest enough to know that she had a bit of a hair trigger temper at times. Probably inherited from her father, she ruefully considered. The workshop was…cluttered, in a word. Half finished projects were scattered all around, bits and pieces strewn across the workbenches in what Taylor thought was, perhaps, frustration.

 **"HE SEEMS TO HAVE ISSUES FOCUSING."** The Emperor noted. Taylor gave a mental grunt of acknowledgement.

 _'Weird, though. I thought Tinkers got all hyper-focused on their work.'_

Taylor looked at Kid, who was rubbing at the back of his head in an embarrassed fashion.

"Sorry about the mess, I kinda get distracted and, well…"

Taylor waved a hand.

"Don't worry about it. This is neater than my workshop by far." She said cheerfully. Kid looked relieved, so she guessed that she had said the right thing. She wandered across the room, careful not to touch anything. That would just be rude.

"This looks a lot like your famous hoverboard. A prototype?" she asked, indicating the piece of tech. Kid nodded.

"It was supposed to be a more heavily armoured version, but I sort of realised that I needed some better lasers half way through so, y'know."

"I can guess." Taylor murmured, peering closer before shaking her head and turning to Kid.

"So you focus on lasers mostly?"

Kid shrugged.

"I think so. It's easier, anyway. You said you wanted to look at my power sources?"

Taylor nodded.

"Sure, can do."

She briefly considered.

 _'You think he could replicate the laspistol by just looking at it?'_

 **"HARD TO SAY FOR CERTAIN. THE LASPISTOL IS A VERY SIMPLE DESIGN, INHERENTLY, BUT IT RELIES ON A HIGHLY ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT DOWN TO SIMPLICITY. IF HE CAN BUILD LASER PISTOLS ALREADY, HE CAN PROBABLY ALREADY BUILD SOMETHING AS EFFECTIVE."**

 _'A fair point.'_

Decided, Taylor reached behind her and carefully freed her laspistol, laying it on the workbench in front of her.

"I do know a little bit about lasers myself." She told Kid dryly. She indicated the laspistol.

"It's a bit different to yours though."

Kid walked across to a wall, returning with his own pistol and laying it next to hers.

"You see the difference?" she asked, fingers describing the sleeker lines of Kid's weapon compared to the more rugged Imperium style weapon. Kid nodded, leaning in with a look of fascination on his face.

"Yours doesn't seem to have any controls on it." He noted. Taylor nodded in agreement.

"One level only. Lethal, unfortunately, I wouldn't use it against anyone who isn't a pretty tough Brute. But more than that, look at the power cells. You use some kind of battery cell, right?"

"Yeah. Armsmaster helped me make it, it can run the pistol for days. It just needs charged every so often. What about yours?"

Taylor lifted the laspistol, tilting it so that Kid could see the empty slot where the power cell should go.

"There should be a power cell in here, solar powered. Unfortunately I lost it fighting Hookwolf. Fortunately, these things come with redundancies."

She detached the power lead from her gauntlets and wiggled it at him to demonstrate, getting a frown before it dawned on him.

"Your gauntlets use the same power source, they're interchangeable." He breathed. Taylor gave him a nod and half a shrug.

"Not quite the same. The one for my gauntlets is a lot less efficient despite being bigger, plus having a wire leading to the pistol isn't exactly ideal. But you make do with what you have, right?"

Kid nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I remember that. Back before I joined the Wards, it was pretty hard to get materials. It's always a big risk for new Tinkers, you know, since the gangs always keep a pretty good watch. I guess I should warn you to be careful of junkyards and stuff, except you're kind of already pretty good even without tinker gear so I guess you don't really need it and-"

"Slow down, Kid." Taylor said, chuckling. Kid blushed a bit, but she shook her head, amused.

"Don't worry, I appreciate the warning. I didn't really know that."

She gestured at the weapons.

"It's interesting though. Two laser pistols, but they're so different."

Kid nodded, looking slightly despondent all of a sudden.

"Yeah, it happens all the time with Tinkers. It makes it pretty hard to get help though, since sometimes there isn't really any crossover. Armsmaster tries, but his speciality isn't really the same as mine. Mostly he just helps pack things in more efficiently." He admitted. Taylor eyed him thoughtfully. She didn't doubt that Armsmaster tried, he seemed like a dutiful sort of guy. But, well, he also didn't seem like the most social. Taylor imagined Armsmaster patiently coaching Kid through some builds and somehow, couldn't quite make it.

 _'You think we can give him a hand?'_

 **"THIS TECHNOLOGY IS NOT MY SPECIALITY, BUT I AM SURE THAT WE CAN OFFER SOME ADVICE. AND GETTING A BETTER LOOK AT TINKERTECH AND THOUGHT PROCESSES CAN ONLY BE BENEFICIAL."**

 _'Win-win, then. My favourite.'_

"Hey, Kid. You want me to try and give you a hand with something? One of these older projects, maybe? I might not be as good at optimising as Armsmaster, but efficiency isn't everything."

The smile Kid gave her was kind of adorable.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks, Circaetus."

"Aw kiddo, you'll make me blush. Don't get all weepy on me, though. What else are friends for?"

Taylor soon got some first-hand experience in the way Kid worked. She had to say that she had been right: the Wards Tinker had issues concentrating. They started working on the laser pistols, Kid trying to make them better in some way- targeting systems linked to his armour- but he quickly got distracted, muttering about a lack of stopping power before beginning to work on what Taylor could only describe as a laser shotgun.

She didn't even know that was possible. Or, well, she supposed it was theoretically possible, but it shouldn't work like an actual shotgun. Then again Tinkers apparently didn't even pretend to obey the laws of physics like the more advanced weapons The Emperor remembered did. It was an interesting diversion anyway, and she was able to give some advice and take quite a few notes for her own work in the process. Her work was only halted by Assault sticking his head into the room and clearing his throat to draw her attention.

"The Director is ready to see you now." He said. Taylor cocked her head at him, nodded. It didn't take long for her to say her goodbyes to the Wards and follow Assault back into the corridors of the headquarters.

"So what do you think the Director wants to see me about?" she asked. Assault shrugged.

"Maybe she wants to congratulate you on a job well done?" he tried. Taylor stared at his back until he shrugged.

"Yeah I doubt it too. Probably, from experience, she's going to angrily berate you for being stupid, make oblique threats of being press-ganged and then reluctantly congratulate you."

"Oblique. That's a good word." Taylor mused. She mulled over it for a while.

"So you think I should just be myself?"

"Well, given how you normally act that should utterly infuriate her. So yeah, do that. I usually do."

They had reached the Directors office and Assault stopped, turning to face her. Taylor solemnly inclined her head to him.

"Thank you for being such an excellent role model, Assault." She said, grinning widely under her helmet. Assault bowed dramatically in return.

"Not a problem, Circaetus. Have fun." He told her, rising extravagantly and knocking on the door. He gestured, Taylor entering with a shrug. She found herself in what was definitely a waiting room, a small room with a single woman behind a desk. A receptionist.

"Circaetus to see Director Piggot." She said, deadpan. The secretary nodded and pressed a button on her desk, speaking quietly into it.

"You can go in." she said. Taylor briefly considered the concept of two layers of bureaucracy keeping people away from the Director before discarding it. There was probably a reason. Probably. Didn't matter.

The Director looked exactly as Taylor remembered. The woman was pasty, rather overweight- probably verging on obese in fact- and had an expression of constant, sour disapproval. Taylor couldn't say that she liked the woman, though she at least hoped that she would be professional.

"Circaetus." Piggot said, her voice cold as ice. Taylor strolled across to her, leaning on the back of the chair rather than sitting it in. A little power play, probably petty but frankly if Piggot couldn't overlook that she didn't deserve Taylor's respect. Piggot looked even more disapproving than before but didn't comment.

"Do you have any idea why I have called you here?" she asked. Taylor shrugged.

"I assumed that it was to disapprove of me and make a few oblique threats." She paraphrased. Piggot frowned at her before sighing and leaning back. Obviously, exposure to Assault had given her patience, just like Armsmaster.

"Circaetus, I'm going to be honest with you. As far as I'm concerned, you are a hazard. A loose cannon. And some time, you're going to slip up and everyone is going to see the danger that you pose."

Taylor remained leaned on the chair, a faint smirk on her face. She could already hear the 'but'.

"However."

And there it was.

"I said that I would be honest with you. Therefore, I can admit that I am impressed. Since you first appeared you have frequently defeated members of various gangs and it was partly due to your efforts that the Merchants were destroyed and the Bakudas rampage halted."

"Director, I'm flattered. But you wouldn't call me up here just to tell me that. So why don't we get down to brass tacks?" Taylor interjected. Piggot eyed her with a narrow gaze before nodding.

"Very well. Frankly, at this moment, I am finding your presence increasingly useful. In addition, you have proven willing to cooperate with the PRT and as such I am willing to, as the phrase goes, cut you some slack. Do not step out of line and the PRT will not move to act against you."

"Ah. What you're saying is, so long as I'm not too blatant you'll look the other way?"

"No. What I am telling you is that, for the moment, you are being considered as something more like a PRT friendly group, rather than a vigilante proper. Do not press me on this, however. Personally I think you're a time bomb just waiting to go off and I'll be watching for that day."

Taylor shifted, putting her hands onto the chair back and shoving herself upright rather than being leaned over, assuming a more authoritative stance and putting a bite into her voice.

"Bear in mind, Director, that the same applies to you. I will work alongside you. I do not answer to you. Bear that in mind and we'll be just fine. Don't, or try to do to me what you did to Shadow Stalker, and…well. We'll get to that when we get there."

Piggot stared at her, a cold glare that Taylor met silently. The tension rose until the air was fraught with it before Piggot eventually nodded.

"Not an unreasonable position to take." She grudgingly allowed. Taylor allowed her stance to loosen, slouching once more. Piggot spoke again.

"As part of your newly acceptable position, the Mayor intends to hold a mixed fundraiser and congratulations for ending Bakuda's rampage. You have been extended an invitation."

Taylor shook her lead, pushing off the chair and standing upright. The Director sounded like she would rather chew glass than extend that offer.

"Don't worry, Director. I have no interest in attending a social gala. I may have some interest in coming in here again, since I've no doubt that Armsmaster will want to look at my gear and assure himself of its safety. Prying at it's best…but I'll organise that for another day rather than taking up more of your time. I assume that's all, Director?"

Piggot nodded.

"Assault will show you out." She said calmly, returning to her paperwork. Taylor briefly eyed the woman, sizing her up. She had to say it: Piggot was a royal bitch, but she was stone cold. She must have been something back in the day, Taylor mused as she turned and walked back to the door. That little conversation had given her plenty to think about, at least. She needed to get back to her lair, then. Her equipment wouldn't repair itself after all.

* * *

 **And that's that. Note: this does not mean this will be a Taylor/Kid Win fic. She just caught him off guard. In fact, it's best to just assume that there will be no shipping. I don't like writing romance, probably because I'm pretty terrible at it.**

 **Hopefully the formatting will have survived the trip to , though it might not as the process tends to play merry hell with it all. Let me know if it didn't so I can make the changes. And, as always, I hope you enjoyed and reviews are always welcome.**


	12. Chapter 10

**And Chapter 10. Disclaimer: I do not own Worm or Warhammer 40k. Although I wonder if I could get work as a 40k author...the Black Library doesn't seem to have standards that are _too_ high...**

* * *

Taylor, having returned to her home, taken a shower and made her way to her lair, was faced with the question of which piece of gear to work on first. Probably the staff, she decided, followed by her armour. But before that, there was the paper that Tattletale had slipped her. She plucked it from her armour and laid it on her workbench, sighing and leaning on the wood for a moment before she unfolded the note, smoothing it out and bringing it into her eyeline. It was a short note, just a location and a time, with a single line underneath.

 _'_ _Laser shipment.'_ Taylor mused thoughtfully. She peered at the writing, noting that it was printed and looked as though it had been carefully done to disguise the handwriting.

 _'_ _You think that this is correct? Tattletale giving us the location and time of a deal Coil will be making?'_

 **"** **I DOUBT THAT IT WILL BE COIL HIMSELF. HE STRIKES ME AS THE SORT OF MAN TO WORK THROUGH MANY LAYERS OF INTERMEDIARIES."**

 _'_ _That's true. But still, this could be an excellent opportunity. We get to strike a blow against Coil and maybe restock on important pieces of equipment at the same time. I think it might be worth it.'_

 **"** **OR IT COULD BE A TRAP. TATTLETALE INDICATED, WHEN WE FIRST SPOKE TO HER, THAT SHE HAS ATTEMPTED TO ESCAPE COIL BEFORE AND BEEN FOILED. WITH HIS POWERS UNKNOWN TO US HE COULD VERY EASILY BE USING HER TO DRAW OUT HEROES."**

Now that was an ugly thought. Taylor tapped her fingers thoughtfully against the bench as she considered it.

 _'_ _You didn't seem too concerned about going off and facing the Empire or ABB alone.'_ She noted. She didn't disagree with the Emperor's urging of caution, but she wanted to hear his reasons.

 **"** **THE EMPIRE OR ABB WOULD ONLY KILL US- AND WE KNOW THAT WILL NOT BE PERMANENT. COIL SEEMS LIKE THE SORT OF PERSON TO PREFER BREAKING US TO HIS WILL, JUST AS TATTLETALE FEARED THAT HE WOULD BRING DRUGS AND BRAINWASHING TO BEAR UPON HER."**

 _'_ _You're worried that he wants to lure us into a trap so that he can find some way to leverage us into his service.'_ Taylor summarised. She frowned.

 _'_ _It's not a bad point. But what do we do about it? Have backup waiting and ready, perhaps?'_

 **"** **PERHAPS. WHAT IS THE PROTECTORATE POLICY ON LOOTING, I WONDER?"**

 _'_ _They probably don't approve of anything called looting. But we can at least try, have some of them ready in case things go wrong. And I don't think there's any harm in at least scoping the place out once our equipment is repaired.'_

 **"** **YES, TRUE."**

Taylor nodded, turning back to her bench. Really, repairing her staff was a simple matter. Some of the connectors and emitters had burned out from the last surge, but it was mostly just standard maintenance and recharging the battery. Her armour was slightly more of a problem, but it wouldn't take that long to build a new torso piece. It was relatively quick and easy; the time-consuming thing would be carving the appropriate runes into it but that could wait until the armour was actually synthesized. Her pistol, however, was ruined. Or at least the power cell was destroyed. If she wanted to use her pistol again she would either have to convert it to run from her backpack cell or build a new, small cell.

And building the smaller cells was out of her reach with her current resources. Which made the prospect of attacking a laser weapon shipment all the more enticing. Taylor frowned at her workbench. What if Coil had access to PRT reports? He was likely to know that she had lost her power cell, and that would explain how he seemed so good at avoiding clashes with the PRT. Maybe she was being paranoid.

 _'_ _I just wish that we had enough to finish the armour. Without my powers…well, I'd feel a lot safer inside gear rated for heavy combat.'_ She noted. Truth be told, she had almost finished a very basic version of Imperium power armour. She just didn't have a power source that was good enough.

Microfusion generators weren't exactly easy to put together, after all. Perhaps she could build a better power cell? She was aware that even the cells used by the Imperium weren't actually the most powerful version, they were just the one that struck the best balance between power and being easy to build and charge. Efficient. But if she used one of the solar power cells to power her armour she would have to make cutbacks on some of the more energy intense systems, and even then she would have limited time of use. But it might be worth it to have access to the force multiplier that was power armour…

 **"** **PERHAPS WE SHOULD LEAVE THIS CONSIDERATION FOR AFTER WE HAVE MORE RESOURCES. AS IT IS, I DOUBT WE COULD CREATE A POWER CELL STRONG ENOUGH TO POWER THE ARMOUR FOR ANY USEFUL PERIOD."**

 _'_ _I suppose that's true. So I need to deal with the armour I have…I wonder if I can just clean away the destroyed layer and replace it. That would make things a lot easier.'_

Taylor closely inspected her damaged breastplate, brushing at it. The assessment that she and the Emperor came to was that the damage had been caused by a mixture of her own psychic power and the runes absorbing the electricity being overwhelmed. As a consequence, the runes had burned out, leaving most of the top layer and quite a bit of the second layer irreparable. Taylor searched out a knife before scraping away at the armour, peeling some of the layers with a considerable effort. She rapped a knuckle against the third layer, thinking.

 _'_ _I think that I can peel away the layers and replace them. It won't be as good as building a completely new set, but it'll be a lot faster.'_ She concluded. Fortunately, the rest of her armour wasn't damaged: the other armour pieces were intact, since the runes were all on the torso piece. Even the helmet had held up, though she suspected that she should replace that as soon as possible. In fact, an entirely new set of armour- as a backup for any future issues, at least- probably wasn't unreasonable.

 **"** **AN EXTRA SET OF ARMOUR SOUNDS LIKE AN EXCELLENT IDEA. YOU SHOULD TRY TO AVOID DAMAGING YOUR ARMOUR ENOUGH TO NEED IT, OF COURSE, BUT WEAR AND TEAR IS TO BE EXPECTED."**

 _'_ _It seems like I can't avoid taking armour damage. Keep running into people who are faster and stronger than me.'_ Taylor complained as she fed a load of ingredients into the armour manufacturer. It would take time, though, which meant that she had time to simply sit back and relax. She tilted her head back, closing her eyes.

 _'_ _You said that we had to discuss Biokinesis. And it would be something that I needed to consider…hmm. Wait, you said that I had to think more. Biokinesis allows for general control and manipulation of flesh, although it has a slightly wider field of application, including the generation of lightning depending on definition. But I doubt we're talking about lightning, so manipulation of flesh. We talked about creating chemicals and altering body chemistry in other people, so self-manipulation. But why would that be…wait. I remember- you used biokinesis to go from barbarian hero to young adult novel demigod, didn't you?"_

 **"** **PERHAPS NOT QUITE THE TERMINOLOGY OR REASONING THAT I WOULD HAVE EMPLOYED, BUT YES. BIOKINESIS GENERALLY RUNS INTO ISSUES WHEN HEALING OR ALTERING WITHOUT DAMAGE BECAUSE LARGE SCALE CHANGES REQUIRE AN IN-DEPTH UNDERSTANDING OF BIOLOGY. FORTUNATELY, I HAPPEN TO HAVE THAT UNDERSTANDING."**

 _'_ _You're saying that I can, with your help, turn myself into a Space Marine. A Primarch. Even further beyond?'_ Taylor asked, her chest swelling with anticipation. The Emperor made a noise of affirmation.

 **"** **NOT IMMEDIATELY. WE DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE A FULL TRANSFORMATION. BUT PIECE BY PIECE, INCH BY INCH, WE WILL GET THERE. AFTER ALL, EVEN IF YOU ONLY IMPROVE BY A SINGLE PERCENT EVERY DAY…"**

 _'_ _After a year you have improved by three-hundred and sixty five percent, at least. I wouldn't mind being stronger, faster and tougher, I have to admit.'_

She paused, running through her options.

 _'_ _Though we will have to keep it low key. I can't really afford to end up looking like a Space Marine. Would blow my cover.'_

 **"** **NATURALLY, YES. MINOR CHANGES FIRST, OF COURSE, ONES THAT WILL NOT SHOW EXTERNALLY."**

 _'_ _Well, let's get started then.'_

As it turned out, even with enough intimate and exceedingly detailed information on the human body to carry out the sort of advanced changes she and the Emperor were looking at, the actual act was not the most pleasant thing. Though she had to say, the agony of altering her nerves and bone structure was…exquisite. Somehow, the sensation was so terrible that it transcended pain, almost coming all the way around to pleasure. Almost, being the operative word.

Taylor was extremely glad that she had made sure to put a gag in place. Screaming like she was being tortured to death would probably draw attention, she reflected as she shakily pulled the gag from her mouth and collapsed into a boneless sprawl.

 _'_ _Fuck.'_

 **"** **MY APOLOGIES, TAYLOR, BUT I HAVE FOUND THAT NO WARNING TRULY SUFFICES. IF IT IS ANY CONSOLATION, FURTHER CHANGES WILL BE MCH LESS UNPLEASANT."**

 _'_ _Because I'm too old for it to be easy.'_ She managed, wiggling an arm underneath herself and forcing herself upright. The pain had already faded, but her limbs were like jelly. Or noodles. Jellied noodles. It took a good ten minutes for her to stand up and wobble across to her chair and her laptop. She might be all but useless at this point, but she could still carry out some research. Now that feeling had returned to her arms.

Browsing PHO was technically research, right? And there was some very interesting things to see, as it happened. The Emperor wasn't paying attention: he was busy planning the best way to alter themselves in order to maximise efficiency. It didn't really matter, she could inform him once he was finished. She took her time examining the article that she had found, searching for additional information and, once done, leaning back in her chair and thinking on it. She thought it through before stopping, just sitting and sinking into contemplation. The Emperor eventually finished his planning, focusing his attention on her.

 **"** **YOU HAVE FOUND SOMETHING, I ASSUME?"**

 _'_ _Just a little._ _Canary- Paige Macabee. High level Master, with the ability to control others through spoken word_. _More specifically, seems to be that she can control people who have been exposed to her singing for above a certain amount of time._ '

 **"** **OH?"**

' _Yeah. Apparently her boyfriend cheated on her, things got heated. She told him to go fuck himself, didn't realise her power was on. Castration and sodomy in one fell swoop. Still, she doesn't deserve what's happening to her.'_

 _"_ **YOU THINK SHE DOESN'T DESERVE PUNISHMENT?"**

 _'_ _Hmm? Oh, no. She definitely deserves jail. Accidental or not she caused severe harm to someone. But looking at the trial transcripts…she would have been better off with no lawyer. She was brought into the trial in restraints rated for a high-level Brute and gagged, according to a leaked copy of some journalist's notes. They didn't even let her speak in her own defence, biased the whole thing against her. She was railroaded, all the way to the Baumann Containment Centre. And, of course, a triumphant statement from Director Tagg, who pushed for a sentence normally handed down to triple murderers or rapists or the like. Looks like hating Parahumans isn't the sole province of our beloved Director Bigot.'_

 **"** **YOU AREN'T GOING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT."**

Taylor sighed.

' _No. I'm not. What could I do, in any case? Poor girl, she'll be dead within a week I expect. The canary going to the Birdcage to die. There's some kind of irony in that, I think. But the general thing is disturbing, sets a bad precedent. A very bad precedent.'_

 **"** **BECAUSE IT INSINUATES THAT THE AUTHORITIES ARE WILLING TO STACK THE DECK IN A BLATANT FASHION. IT INCREASES THE FEAR AROUND MASTER CAPES- WHICH WE CAN BE CONSIDERED AS IF YOU SQUINT, ONCE OUR POWERS RETURN- AND IT SETS AN ASSUMPTION THAT BEING A CAPE IS ENOUGH TO EARN A HARSHER PUNISHMENT THAN A NORMAL CRIMINAL."**

 _'_ _Exactly. Modern day racism, I suppose. Or maybe not quite racism, but…y'know. You'd know better than I how tyranny and oppression can start innocently, right?'_

 **"** **WHILE I CAN'T SAY THAT I APPRECIATE THE IMPERIUM BEING REFERRED TO AS A TYRANNY, YOUR POINT IS WELL MADE AND NOT ENTIRELY INACCURATE. BUT THERE MUST BE SOMETHING THAT WE CAN DO, AT LEAST TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THIS CASE."**

Taylor grunted sourly.

 _'_ _Not much, exactly. I don't really have the political power or the fame to be making wide-reaching statements.'_

The Emperor was quiet for a moment before he spoke again.

 **"** **WHILE I DO HESITATE TO SUGGEST THIS, THE THOUGHT STRIKES ME THAT, IN ADDITION TO MY PRIOR RECOMMENDATION THAT WE SHOULD ATTEMPT TO BUILD A BUSINESS AROUND OUR TECHNOLOGY, GETTING INTO THE GOOD BOOKS OF THE CITY POLITICAL ELITE WOULD BE HIGHLY VALUABLE. RESCUING DINAH ALCOTT- A FAIRLY CLOSE RELATION OF THE MAYOR- WOULD BE IDEAL, BUT IN ADDITION THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET THE MAYOR, AT LEAST. ONE COMING UP VERY SOON."**

 _'_ _Very soon…the celebratory gala. Really? Something like that is…it would be awful.'_

 **"** **WE MUST ALL MAKE SACRIFICES SOMETIMES. CONSIDER, AT LEAST, WHETHER ESTABLISHING INITIAL POLITICAL LINKS ARE WORTH SUFFERING THROUGH A MERE FEW HOURS OF SMALL-TALK AND POLITICAL CHICANERY?"**

Taylor grumbled wordlessly but knew that The Emperor was right. She should, at the very least, think about it. She sighed, turning her attention back to the laptop and more of her research. This particular bit of research was quite important for her future plans: The Endbringers. Three beings, possibly once Parahuman, possible something else entirely, none of them looking human. All of them attacking cities on a regular basis, with the massive cape and non-cape casualties that their rather ominous name implied. Behemoth, Leviathan and the Simurgh- or Ziz, depending on who you asked. All very biblical, she noted darkly as she read through a brief synopsis of the latest Endbringer emergence and began to plan a way to face them. She had to. It was her duty, as a protector of humanity, and she fully intended to be present at the next possible confrontation.

 **"** **TAYLOR."** The Emperor interrupted. Taylor paused, forcing her attention away from her thoughts and focusing on the Emperor. Somehow, his monotone sounded deeper, stonier, even more implacable than usual.

 _'_ _Yes?'_

 **"** **LAUDABLE AS YOUR DESIRE TO PROTECT THE WORLD FROM THESE ENDBRINGERS IS, I CANNOT ALLOW YOU TO GO FORTH AND DO BATTLE WITH THEM. NOT AS YOU ARE."**

Taylor went still for a moment, almost unable to understand what she was hearing.

 _'_ _Cannot allow me to fight them?'_ she echoed numbly. Surely she must have misheard. The Endbringers were an absolute threat to humanity, one almost as great as the Parasite itself, surely the Emperor couldn't be suggesting that she not fight them. The Emperor's tone didn't soften.

 **"** **I CANNOT ALLOW YOU TO FIGHT THEM. SO FAR I HAVE NOT HAD ANY SERIOUS CONCERN WITH YOUR ACTIONS: NO-ONE IS PERFECT, ESPECIALLY NOT I, AND WE HAVE BEEN WORKING TOWARDS OUR GOAL WHILE AIDING HUMANITY ON A SMALLER SCALE. HOWEVER, TO FIGHT THE ENDBRINGERS AS WE ARE NOW IS SIMPLY STUPIDITY. I CANNOT LET YOU MAKE SUCH A MISTAKE."**

 _'_ _Such a- we've gone into plenty of fights that were stacked against us! And besides, you said just minutes ago that the Empire and ABB could only kill us. How is that different from the Endbringers?'_

 **"** **DO NOT BE FOOLISH, TAYLOR. WE TOOK RISKS, BUT MOST OF THEM WE HARDLY HAD A CHOICE. LUNG WAS A MISTAKE, BUT THERE IS QUITE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HUMAN VILLAIN- MOST OF WHOM WILL NOT ACTIVELY ATTEMPT TO UTTERLY DESTROY US, NO MATTER WHAT WE MAY RISK- AND THE ENDBRINGERS. THEY DESTROY. THEY KILL. THAT IS ALL THEY DO, THEY WOULD NOT HESITATE. CAN YOU TRULY THINK THAT WE WOULD SURVIVE, THAT WE WOULD BE ABLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE? SHOULD WE FACE THE ENDBRINGERS AND DIE, HOW MUCH TIME WOULD IT TAKE BEFORE WE COULD RETURN? HOW MUCH WOULD HAPPEN THAT WE COULD PREVENT?"**

 _'_ _How many Heroes could we save by going to an Endbringer fight and helping? How many lives could they save? Your own arguments work just as well for me!'_ Taylor argued. She felt the Emperor shift somehow, some realisation coming to him.

 **"** **THAT MIGHT BE TRUE. IF IT WERE WHAT YOU TRULY THOUGHT. I KNOW YOU, TAYLOR. I KNOW YOU JUST AS WELL AS YOU KNOW YOURSELF. THIS IS NOT ABOUT SAVING LIVES BY SAVING HEROES, THIS IS ABOUT YOU. YOU THINK THAT YOU MATTER LESS, JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN COME BACK? YOU TRULY THINK THAT THE HEROES YOU SAVE CAN DO MORE THAN WE CAN? OR IS IT JUST THAT YOU CANNOT STAND THE THOUGHT OF THE POTENTIAL GUILT?"**

 _'_ _I…'_

 **"** **NO, TAYLOR. THIS ARGUMENT…THIS IS SOMETHING I CANNOT BEND UPON. IF YOU TRULY WISH TO LIVE UP TO MY LEGACY, IF YOU TRULY WISH TO BECOME THE PROTECTOR THAT THIS WORLD NEEDS, YOU MUST BE ABLE TO MAKE HARD CHOICES. UNPALATABLE CHOICES, MUCH AS I WISH IT OTHERWISE. MUCH AS I HOPE THAT YOU BECOME POWERFUL AND WISE ENOUGH THAT YOU ARE NEVER FORCED TO MAKE THOSE CHOICES."**

Taylor leaned her head on her hands, boiling with frustration as she squeezed her eyes shut. She could barely bear the thought, to sit passively at home while others fought and died when she could help. Surely that wasn't wrong? Surely it was only understandable?

The Emperor gave a deep, hollow sigh.

 **"** **TAYLOR. WHEN I FACED HORUS…WHEN I SAW SANGUINIUS, BROKEN AND DEAD AT HIS FEET, YOU KNOW HOW I FELT."**

Taylor knew. She had known, intellectually, but the waves of sorrow and rage that washed over her were new. She was feeling it just as The Emperor had, she realised a little numbly. The Emperor continued, his booming monotone softening slightly, leavened with emotion.

 **"** **And yet, I could not bring myself to destroy Horus. I fought him, but in my mind I thought I could bring him back. That he was possessed, that I could free him and return him to the son I remembered, so I locked away my rage and my grief as I faced him. Every blow that I could not block, every time I hesitated I wavered, but would not bend. I could bring him back, even if it meant allowing him to cut me down. And then, as I lay broken upon the floor and he stood over me, Ollanius entered."**

Ollanius Pius, Taylor remembered. Another Perpetual, and at that time a member of the Imperial Guard who had fought his way through the nightmare that was Horus' Battle-Barge.

 **"** **He took a glance at the fight. He was younger than me and I believed less wise, but at that time he saw more clearly. He stood before me, between Horus and I, telling Horus that he would not move. Would not allow him to finish me, regardless of how I told him to leave. I would not die forever: if this was the price to be paid for bringing Horus back to his senses, leaving him to lead the Imperium to greater glory than it had ever known, I would gladly pay it. But Ollanius would not move, and Horus struck him down. That instant…it was the one that showed me that my son was lost forever."**

Taylor didn't speak, waiting for The Emperor to finish.

 **"** **I had thought he was possessed by the Ruinous Powers. But Khorne would have killed physically, Nurgle with rot, Slaanesh with pleasures innumerable and terrible and Tzeentch with mutation or warpfire. Horus slew Ollanius by flaying him alive, not slowly, not savouring it, but in a single instant of agony. And then he laughed and kicked the body aside and I understood, from that instant of cruelty- so very human cruelty- that he was not possessed. That my death would not bring him back to himself, that I would not return to a glorious Imperium but to a horror. And so I steeled myself and rose again. All of my rage, my grief, my sorrow, my hate, turned upon Horus, once my favoured son, destroying him so utterly that even the Ruinous Powers could not bring him back, even with all the dark might they wield. I had won…but I had fallen, never to rise again."**

Taylor frowned, still not understanding the point that the Emperor was driving at. What relevance did this have to her facing the Endbringers? The Emperor was not yet finished, however.

 **"** **I thought that I could make hard decisions. That I was able of it. But then, facing Horus, I could not make the difficult choice to stop him. I failed, and because of that the Imperium was plunged into a nightmare of ten thousand years that never ended. Power cannot insulate you from making hard choices, Taylor, it merely defers them. I do not want to see you fall into the same trap, to see this world fall to ruin because you could not bring yourself to put aside your fears. I want you to succeed, Taylor. Ask yourself: do you really want the same?"**

Taylor shook her head silently, glaring at the table in front of her and clenching her fists so tightly that she could feel her nails beginning to cut into her palms.

 _'_ _You really think that I- we- would perish in battle with the Endbringers? That we really cannot make a difference?'_

 **"** **Do not be obtuse, Taylor. You would see it, if you but took the time to look. Our strongest opponent so far has been Lung, a foe we faced in hubris. Even at the height of our powers so far we barely defeated Lung, and he did not come close to the reported power he showed in his battle against the Leviathan. And even then, Lung did not win. He lasted longer than any other, but in the end Kyushu sank beneath the waves and Leviathan left, unscathed. Do you really believe that we could do better?"**

Taylor took a deep breath and forced herself to unclench her fists.

 _'_ _No.'_ she admitted, soft and grudging. She shook her head, trying to calm down and think. The Emperor was right, she knew. She honestly hadn't been considering the sheer difference in power between the Capes of Brockton Bay and the Endbringers. She had been certain that she could make a difference but now, the words of the Emperor still ringing through her mind, she realised the folly of it. She wasn't some normal Cape, at the height of her powers after a short time and with only experience to increase her skill. She was weak now, but with time- years, decades maybe, but in time- she would be stronger than any cape could dream of being. Strong enough to shatter planets and tear the very fabric of reality.

Almost certainly strong enough to obliterate the Endbringers just as they obliterated heroes and villains who fought them now.

But even then…Taylor felt a wrenching in her chest, a scraping, clawing sensation of guilt and nausea at the thought that other capes might die because she wasn't there. Vista, Kid Win, the other Wards. _Glory._ Even Dauntless and the other members of the Protectorate who she knew and who might, in time, be called friends.

She had never really contemplated that aspect of her powers before. Oh, she had been aware of it- that she wouldn't really grow old, wouldn't die like the rest- but she had never truly considered what it would mean. Taylor leaned forwards slightly, anticipatory grief settling in her stomach with a sick weight, horror coming to rest on her shoulders like a thick, cold cloak.

Wallowing in angst didn't last. The coldness of despair was displaced by a wave of strength and reassurance, settling into place as the Emperor brought his presence to bear again.

 **"** **Taylor."** He said, his voice gentler than before. She bowed her head, taking a deep breath again before a tiny smile touched her expression.

 _'_ _I know. I just…hadn't really thought of what it would mean. How did you ever stand it?'_

A considering pause, though a brief one.

 **"** **I would say that it very much depended upon the perpetual. Some of us isolated ourselves, locking ourselves away and refusing to become attached, seeing humans as mere…pets. Tools. But for many of us…no matter how long you live, a year is a year. A lifetime of friendship is a lifetime worth, more than worth the grief afterwards, no matter how it may not feel so. And as technology progressed, lifespans increased. Of course, you may feel differently."**

 _'_ _Better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all?'_

 **"** **Something like that."**

Taylor shrugged her shoulders, the phantom sensation of comfort dissipating from her frame. Oh, she could still feel the presence of the Emperor, but he wasn't actively asserting himself anymore. Probably a good thing, as she had no idea how much independent power he had, or if he was piggybacking on her own extremely limited abilities, or if it was simply a psychological effect. Whatever. She didn't have time to angst.

 _'_ _Alright.'_

Even in her head the voice was very quiet, solemn. She didn't like to say it, but it had to be done. She felt the Emperor turn his attention to her, questioning.

 _'_ _Alright. I promise, I won't go after the Endbringers. I won't seek them out until we're strong enough. But if one comes- if one comes here, I won't hide in the shadows like a coward.'_

 **"** **I suppose that is all I can ask."** The Emperor conceded. He was quiet for a moment before speaking again.

 **"** **Trite as it is to say- this may not have been a pleasant decision, Taylor, but it was the right one."**

 _'_ _I hate making the right decision. Just once I'd like easy decisions and right decisions to not be mutually exclusive.'_

 **"** **I can't say that I disagree."**

For all her confidence, Taylor didn't exactly want her first test of her biomancy powers to be a live fire test against Coils mercenaries- who were, by all accounts, highly professional and dangerous. Instead she went out a little earlier, intending to find a Merchant to practice on. She had wanted to find out what the gang was doing anyway. She very much doubted that they had simply broken up with the death of Squealer and Skidmark, after all.

Which was why she was currently hiding outside a derelict looking apartment building that she knew had formerly been used as a drugs lab by the Merchants. If they were smart, they would have moved out, abandoned every place that had once been theirs. On the other hand, if they had been smart they probably wouldn't be Merchants in the first place. But, assuming that the gang hadn't immediately broken apart and devolved into infighting, they might be ripe for a takeover. And the Merchants had enough manpower that, in the hands of someone not as drug-addled as Skidmark, they could be quite a nuisance. That was something she'd prefer to avoid, and so she had made her way to this dingy, abandoned building. It was dusk, and her black and grey armour and clothing blended into the encroaching darkness well as she slipped across the street to the door. She pressed a hand against the door, noting with mild amusement that it only appeared to be a decaying wooden door. Behind it was steel, and the lock looked solid. Maybe the Merchants weren't so stupid after all. Still, it didn't make too much difference.

Taylor carefully twisted the knob on her left gauntlet, increasing the power draw until her gauntlet was letting out that soft, dangerous hum that indicated it was at nigh full power. Fortunately, while the stun effect didn't work all around the gauntlet- in order to be low enough power to avoid killing people the size of the field was reduced to a small area around the knuckles- at this level of power the armour-melting field expanded to surround her whole fist. Very slowly she pressed her fingers against the door, letting the field vaporise the wood and metal bit by bit until she had reached her hand through the door and closed it around the lock. The lock offered no more resistance than the door and Taylor withdrew her hand, powering down the gauntlet before opening the door. The field was simply too dangerous to be swinging around without a care. If she accidentally cut her leg off with her own gauntlet she'd never live it down, she mused with morbid amusement as she crept into the building. The layout of the building was much like others she had seen: a brief corridor with a single room off it, stairs to the side leading upwards. This one, however, had the extra accoutrements of neglect: a healthy dose of rust, plenty of cobwebs and a distinct smell of damp that made Taylor wrinkle her nose. Damp and…urine. How typical. She swallowed the urge to grimace before she started up the stairs, moving slowly and keeping her feet close to the wall in hopes of minimising any noise. She could hear a low buzz of conversation above her, but wasn't sure if there could be some sort of guard. She reached the first floor.

 _'_ _It smells even worse up here.'_ She complained mentally as she gently tested the first door. It swung open with a soft creak that made her freeze and strain her ears for any sound indicating that she had been detected, but there were no shouts or cries afterwards. She shook her head at the sheep sloppiness of it before peering into the small apartment room. The walls had been knocked down, and a single, rusty bedframe held a thin mattress and a few sheets, more brown that white now. Stained mattresses were scattered across the floor, and a collapsed sofa sat against a wall.

 _'_ _This is no way to live.'_ Taylor commented. The Emperor made a non-comital noise.

 **"** **Poverty will always exist."** He replied, though his no longer monotone voice held a touch of sympathy among the disdain. Taylor shook her head, backing away to look at the other apartments on the floor. They were all much the same: poorly furnished, one scattered with syringes and other drug paraphernalia. Much as she would have expected from the Merchants, admittedly. She returned to the stairs and started up the next flight.

The next flight was empty too, and much the same as the first. The mumblings of conversation were louder though. Taylor paused at the bottom of the stairs to stretch out her powers, searching for the Merchants. She pressed her power just enough to cover the building, disregarding the scurrying insects and small mammals. Four Merchants, she found, all male. She picked the one that seemed least fuddled as her target and moved up the last set of stairs, flexing her arms in a final stretch before she took her staff in both hands. All the Merchants were in a single room and she moved to the door in silence. The laughter was loud enough for her to hear it clearly as she stood outside the door. Taylor smiled thinly before she drew back her boot and kicked the decaying door off its hinges with a single crashing blow, darting into the room before the dust had even settled. The Merchants were caught utterly off guard.

Taylor caught two of them close together, taking one with a sharp blow to the head before she spun her staff and rammed the end into the second Merchants sternum. Electricity crackled briefly before the man went down and Taylor sprang towards the next. The third was just rising when Taylor swept his legs from beneath him and dropped the stunning end of the staff onto the man. The last had risen, less drugged than the others and consequently more coordinated. Taylor took a moment to glance around, check on the three she had already put down. The first was standing again, shaking his head in confusion, so she hefted her staff before flinging it in a sharp motion. The staff thudded into the mans stomach, doubling him over and shocking him as well before she turned back to her target. He had pulled a knife, holding it downwards in his hand- icepicking, Taylor had heard the style called- and was quite clearly nerving himself up to rush at her.

"Maybe you should just go and lie down in the corner." Taylor suggested, mockingly. The Merchant shook his head, eyes fixing on her for a moment before he yelled something that was probably derogatory and charged right at her. Taylor sighed, shifting and reaching out a hand to snag a chair that was lying next to her. It was one of those cheap plastic and aluminium chairs, but it was plenty effective when she hooked a hand around it and spun it at the Merchants legs. He squawked, awkwardly dodging and taking his attention off her for a moment. Taylor seized the chance, darting forwards and pushing his knife hand wide, giving her an opening. The Merchant squawked, slapping ineffectually at her armoured shoulder with his free hand, but she ignored him in favour of slamming her fist into the shoulder of his knife hand. The blade fell and Taylor twisted his arm, hooking a boot behind his foot and shoving him away. The Merchant fell, twisting and scrabbling away. Taylor followed at a casual stride.

"You really should give up." She advised. The Merchant lurched to his feet, spinning on his heel and swinging a wild blow. Taylor leaned back, watching it whisk uselessly past her helmet before she returned a heavy blow to the chest, sending the man staggering.

"Seriously. You're just going to get hurt."

"Fuck you!"

The Merchant rallied one last time, launching himself at her head first. Taylor sidestepped, slipping a fist past his sloppily raised guard and catching him in the stomach. As he doubled over in pain she calmly caught an arm and twisted it behind his back before pressing her splayed hand to the back of his skull. This close she was easily able to leverage her powers even through her glove and gauntlet. Altering his brain chemistry to send him suddenly into unconsciousness was child's play.

 _'_ _Alright, work me through this again.'_ She said as she left her chosen target and made sure to tie up the others, binding arms and legs with strips torn from their tattered jackets and stacking them in a corner.

 **"** **It is relatively simple. Though our telepathic abilities are still greatly reduced, it is possible to alter the brain chemistry to create a drug that will temporarily put the victim into a trance state, making them extremely vulnerable to psychic persuasion. Alternatively, we could carry out more extensive modifications that will make them natively produce a truth serum, but the additional changes that would be required to produce the effect without killing the victim are time consuming."**

 _'_ _First option, then.'_

Taylor crouched over the Merchant she had selected, placing her hands on his skull and concentrating her powers. The Emperor aided her, giving the whole thing a near-ghostly feel for her as her powers were manipulated by another, something that was almost an out of body experience. Taylor paid attention however: it was entirely possible that she would need to do this herself at some time and it was far less stressful to learn like this than to have the collected knowledge of the Emperor dumped into her memories.

It didn't take long to finish the alterations. Taylor left the Merchant for a few minutes in order to allow the changes to take effect, using the time to poke around the apartment and see if there was anything worth taking. The only thing she found was a small amount of cash- disappointing but not unexpected, she supposed. She returned to the Merchant, lifting him by his coat and dragging him to a sofa. It would be better to hold off on the interrogation style tactics, better to not risk breaking the trance. She woke the man with a brief application of psychic power, jogging his mind into wakefulness, though even that minor application was hard. Taylor couldn't wait for her powers to return properly. She hadn't realised how useful they were before she lost them

"Whu- wha'? Where m'I?" the Merchant slurred, barely conscious. Good enough. Taylor called on her power, mentally pushing the man to be honest. It was easier than she had expected: his mind was like putty at the moment.

"Hey. Hey, I need you to stay awake and tell me about the Merchants." She said, her gentle tone masking the persuasive force she was adding to her voice. The man stirred, blinking muzzily at her.

"Merchants?"

"Yeah, Merchants. Your friends, remember? I need to know who's leading you now."

"Leadin'? Oh, leadin'. Uh…Mark."

"Mark?"

That was not exactly promising, Taylor thought. Mark could be anyone. It might not even be right, might be some random Merchant who had taken over two or three of his buddies.

"Yeah. We all wen' to see who was gonna be boss after Skids bit it, 'n this guy turned up. Said he was the boss now. Killed a coupa guys to dem- demma- show it."

Taylor took it back. That sounded more promising.

"Was he a cape?" she asked. The Merchant wobbled his head.

"I- I dunno. He was all dressed up, skinny guy. Had this big bruiser with him, and a smaller one. They were capes. Told us to lay low, keep doin' what we were doin'."

And wasn't that just interesting? Whoever had taken over the Merchants had, in defiance of the usual way one went about that sort of thing, kept it quiet. Taylor put the thought aside for the moment, continuing the questioning in order to search out any Merchant hideouts the man knew of. Once that was done, satisfied that she had tested the efficacy of her technique, Taylor put him back to sleep. It was an easy task to return his brain chemistry to normal- though this time she did it without the Emperors help, as a test- and Taylor left the Merchants unconscious, aware that the one she had questioned would awake- albeit with only very fuzzy memories past her fight with him- and free the others.

 _'_ _Mark, eh? That's not a usual Parahuman name, hero or villain.'_

 **"** **True as that is, we must consider the other option. That it was not Mark the name, rather being Marque. As I recall there used to be a parahuman villain of significant power named Marquis in the area, did there not?"**

 _'_ _Some kind of reference, maybe trying to build on the reputation Marquis still has? Though if that were the case I would have expected something larger in scale. Hiding isn't conducive to building a reputation.'_

 **"** **It is one of the key things in using a group as a patsy, though."**

 _'_ _That's true. Using the Merchants as a scapegoat or distraction though, that isn't really the style of the ABB or Empire. A new villain maybe? Or the obvious.'_

 **"** **Yes, using the Merchants as a distraction would seem very much in line with the methods Coil seems to prefer. Though the presence of parahumans is strange given that Coil has not demonstrated any parahuman presence in his ranks. Though, as he hired the Undersiders through a middleman, perhaps he is doing the same with the Merchants. A middleman as a face for the organisation, to provide him with a source of cannon fodder."**

 _'_ _I hope that isn't the case.'_

 **"** **Oh?"**

 _'_ _Yeah. Building up cannon fodder usually implies that there's a war about to start. Coil's smart and sneaky enough as it is: I really don't want to be facing him if he has the initiative.'_

"So, what are we doing here?" Glory asked. She kept her voice down: it was just after dusk and they were perched on a rooftop. Glory had enough experience to know that something had to be up.

"According to some information I received, some smugglers are going to be making a delivery to Coil near here in about half an hour. I thought I might need some backup on it, you were my first choice." Taylor replied quietly. Glory nodded, eyes narrowing in thought.

"I guess you can't tell me the source?"

Taylor shook her head, causing Glory to nod.

"Yeah, thought so. But you trust whoever it is, otherwise we wouldn't be here. You got a connection to the Protectorate ready to go?"

Taylor wordlessly held up her phone, pointing to it. She had Dauntless on fast-dial already. Glory nodded approvingly.

"Good. Not that I think a bunch of mercs and smugglers can take us down but, y'know, better safe than sorry."

"As I've learned more times than I would like over the past few months. Anyway, I don't want to call in the Protectorate for something that might not be happening."

Taylor hesitated, shrugged.

"Plus, I'd like to get my hands on a couple of the rifles so I can take them apart and rebuild my equipment and I'm not sure any of the PRT or Protectorate guys would let me do that."

"I can't imagine why they wouldn't trust you with high powered weaponry." Glory replied, but she was smiling as she said it. Taylor pouted behind her mask- something of a wasted expression, she realised a moment after making it.

"You say that like I'm not trustworthy."

Glory gave her a smiling shrug.

"It's your tendency to be a loose cannon, Circ."

"I'm not a loose cannon." Taylor protested mildly.

"I'm a loose…siege catapult."

"Pratchett?" Glory asked, eyeing her with amusement. Taylor gave her a head-tilt of curiosity and she shrugged.

"My sister likes to read them." Glory explained. Taylor briefly tried to wrap her head around the sulky, dour Panacea liking Terry Pratchett books before shrugging it away. Maybe Panacea was different when not around annoying patients. Glory shook her head.

"So, how exactly are we going to do this?" she asked. Taylor nodded thoughtfully, putting her serious face on.

"The meeting is taking place in a warehouse- well, more of a boathouse. As far as I can guess the plan is to bring the stuff in a smaller boat, nice and quiet, into the building and then take it away. I doubt there'll be very many of them so I'd like a chance to drop in and take out as many as possible quietly, before you come in. Something goes wrong or they're stuck together I'll signal and you can come in all shock and awe."

Glory drifted slightly in the air, glancing in the direction of the warehouse they had been talking about.

"How are you going to signal me?" she asked. Taylor thought about it for a moment before producing her phone and holding it up.

"I'll ring you, leave my phone on. You should be more or less able to hear, right? You hear screaming you come in guns blazing."

Glory frowned.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Circ. I mean, what if I don't hear it in time? Or if you get spotted? Coils men aren't like the others, they know what they're doing." She said quietly. Taylor frowned as she realised that Glory was honestly making a good point.

"You're right. But what other choice do we have? Either we just make an attack and hope to get them all or we try to time it and risk bursting in at a bad time."

Glory nodded at that, a slight frown rippling across her face as she thought. Taylor gave it some thought as well before finding a suggestion.

"Maybe we can combine the two. There's more than one way to get into the warehouse after all, so maybe if one of us creates a distraction the other can make a surprise attack." She offered. Glory still didn't look entirely convinced, but she seemed to like that idea more than the first one.

"I'm probably better at being a distraction," Glory said, "So how do you want to do this?"

Taylor glanced at the boathouse again, sizing it up and sketching out a mental plan.

"I'll go around the back, give me ten minutes to sneak in. You come through the doors once the meet's started- I'll leave my phone on like I first planned but I'll speak to you to let you know the time. Once they're all distracted I'll jump them, take down as many as I can and you can join in however you want."

Glory Girl murmured an agreement and settled down on the roof to wait, so Taylor wasted no more time in leaving the roof and moving towards the warehouse. Flexing her powers, she identified that there were half a dozen people in the building and so she paused in an alleyway, running through her options and deciding that her tried and tested 'notice-me-not- aura would probably be the best option. It was, fortunately, still within her abilities: it acted more upon the subconscious than anything else and therefore required little power to build and maintain. Still, she was careful in applying it- Glory had been right when she said that Coils mercenaries were some of the more dangerous men in the city. Once Taylor felt secure in her ability to be unnoticed she resumed her movement, creeping around to the side of the warehouse and eyeing it up.

The building was derelict, as might be expected, and the small windows set along the top of the wall were mostly broken. That was probably her way in, Taylor thought, unless she could find some entrance along the bottom. She was reasonably sure that her aura would cause the mercenaries to ignore her climbing through the window if she was seen, but reasonably sure was the sort of thing that caused trouble. She scouted along the bottom of the warehouse in hope of an alternative: she was in luck. Near the very edge of the dock, the warehouse had begun to wear away. The gap thus created was small- too small for Taylor, in all honesty- but it was mainly blocked by a few stubborn beams. A quick application of her gauntlets to the top of the beams quickly freed them to be dragged away and quietly laid down and Taylor was able to squirm through the gap into the dim light of the warehouse.

 _'_ _I count six men.'_

 **"** **That is my count as well. Three on guard, two guarding the last who is clearly the emissary here. They seem well organised."**

 _'_ _And well equipped to boot.'_

The mercenaries reminded Taylor of the PRT troopers that she had seen- not necessarily a good thing, if they were as organised and trained. Each of them wore black- black trousers, boots and long-sleeved tops- with plates of armour, also matte black, at the joints. Similarly, black and angular plates covered the breast and back, each of them also wearing a helmet that covered the top of their heads. Dark visors extended from the helmet to cover the eyes, with dark masks clinging to the lower half of their faces. Each had a microphone attached to the helmet.

 _'_ _The classic faceless goon look. All those eighties movies would be proud. Although, do you think we should invest in some comms technology? We could build it right into the helmet.'_

 **"** **I think we could do that with twentieth century technology, never mind fortieth millennium. Hmm…the armour is unlikely to be as good as our own, but that doesn't mean it's useless. If we can get behind them the neck is exposed enough, but I would advise blows at unplated areas with our staff or gauntlets. Stun them quickly and don't give them a chance to organise."**

 _'_ _Yeah, you don't need to tell me twice.'_ Taylor agreed, eyeing the weapons they had. Each man- well, men and women, since one was slimmer and shorter than the rest and so presumably female- carried a high tech looking rifle. Taylor would admit, the laser rifles looked fancy and all, but she preferred Imperium laser tech. Not only was it more pleasing aesthetically, but it was robust enough to be used as a bludgeon in dire need-she very much doubted that the Tinkertech equipment could claim the same. Regardless, she had to assume that the weapons were just as deadly as anything she could make and therefore capable of burning through her armour.

A twinge of concern for Glory reared its head at that, but Taylor quashed it. She couldn't afford pessimism.

In addition to the rifles, every mercenary carried a handgun- Taylor couldn't tell if they were laser or not. The slimmer mercenary, the one who seemed to be in the position of leader if their relaxed stance in the centre of the room was any indicator, carried two. Most of the other carried knives as well, but Taylor reckoned that those were more of an afterthought. She settled herself in the shadows near her entryway, content to wait and observe until the smugglers got here. Glory was probably dying for some action, she mused with a smile as she idly charted the way the mercenaries were patrolling. They probably would have noticed her were it not for her protective aura, she noted with absent approval. They were completely silent as well. Well disciplined. Well, even if she failed to find out any more information she had enough to make a better assessment of Coils mercenaries. She was quite impressed, all things considered.

She judged that she had been waiting for about five minutes before her ears picked up the faint swishing of water and a muffled grunting. Taylor watched with amusement as a boat drifted into the warehouse, moving with steady strokes of oars until it bumped against the concrete ramp that led from the warehouse into Brockton Bay. It was a motorboat, a reasonably large one too, but the engine had been turned off in the name of stealth. Taylor watched as the rowers climbed out, following a big man in a heavy coat. He had a bristling moustache and a broad, good natured face that was tanned dark with the sun, but Taylor thought him dangerous. The men who had been rowing clambered out behind him, each one carrying a laser rifle just like the mercenaries, though they lacked the uniforms. Taylor made a quick headcount- four, and the big man. That made eleven total. Eleven on two were not her favourite odds, but she thought they could manage. She opened her phone- already connected to Glory- and brought it up to her mask, speaking very quietly and hoping she could be heard. Once again the unfortunate issue of attempting to use a mobile through her helmet presented itself, another point towards trying to integrate communications into the helmet.

"Glory? There's eleven of them, meeting now. Start the distraction any time." Taylor said quietly, hoping Glory had heard her. She disconnected the call, belatedly realising that that in itself was probably a fair signal, and coiled her legs underneath her, ready for action. She'd take down the smugglers first, she decided. They were closer and more vulnerable. The only thing now was to wait. Wait until Glory-

Glory kicked open the door and floated in, smiling widely.

"Hi guys! What're you doing, something evil?"

Taylor blinked at the entrance, though her surprise didn't stop her from rising to a crouch and starting to sneak forwards.

 _'_ _Given that entrance…do you think that we might be rubbing off on her?'_ Taylor commented.

 **"** **It probably isn't impossible. It must be our natural charisma, showing those around us the proper way to act. Just think of how much of an influence we can have on the younger ones."**

 _'_ _That actually doesn't reassure me, given all the crazy stuff we do. You're terrible at reassuring me, you know that?'_

 **"** **It's a gift. You should pay attention though; your friend is speaking again."**

"Now, I get that I can't just come bursting in here and beat you all up. But hey, that doesn't mean I can't just wander in and join an innocent gathering of friendly citizens, right?"

That was true, actually. Taylor generally got away with hitting first because she didn't really turn the gang members she faced into the police, and because no criminal had so far been stupid enough to go to the police and tell them that they had been attacked by a hero while just hanging around, keeping a count of their laundered money and drugs. But in this case Taylor and Glory wanted to hand in the mercenaries and most of the weapons, which meant that it was better, legality-wise, if they weren't the ones to start the fight. Hopefully one of this bunch would be twitchy enough to start shooting, though if not…maybe she could dredge up enough power to have a little bit of mental influence. Taylor frowned slightly at the thought that her telepathy was so much weaker than her biomancy, resolving to talk to the Emperor about it. Later, of course, since she had the feeling that things were about to heat up too much for any conversation beyond cheesy quips and puns.

The big smuggler scoffed at Glory.

"You don't have any authority here, hero." He said. Taylor couldn't see his expression from her position, but she was fairly sure he was sneering. Glory shrugged.

"I mean, you say that- and it might be true, yeah- but this all looks pretty suspicious. You're all doing the armed criminal look, I mean. But I guess if there's nothing going on you won't mind me taking a look in those crates?"

Glory hovered closer to the man, who shifted his stance. Coils mercenaries had done much the same thing, though Taylor suspected that they were unlikely to be the ones to start firing. The smugglers guards, on the other hand, were already looking twitchy. Glory shrugged again and reached into a pocket, producing her mobile.

"In fact, why don't I just give the Protectorate a call and see if they can send someone to make sure nothing bad's happening here? I mean, if you're innocent you've got nothing to fear, right?"

That had probably been the last straw, Taylor surmised from the way the man stiffened.

"There's only one of you, hero. You've made a mistake coming here!"

His hand went for the gun on his waist. The slimmer mercenary brought a hand up, a clearly feminine voice issuing from behind her mask.

"She doesn't work alone!"

Glory pushed off the ground into a backwards flip. Taylor threw her staff like a javelin and launched herself at the smugglers and everything devolved into chaos.

Taylor caught the two smugglers closest to her completely off guard, her fists slamming into them and putting them down with jolts of electricity. Her staff had landed true, sending the big smuggler spasming to the ground, though she didn't think there had been enough contact to knock him out. A hand to the temple of a third smuggler, man down and she turned on the last without taking a breath, burying a fist in his torso and shocking him into unconsciousness.

Glory flipped past, red bolts tracing past her for a moment before Taylor heard a thump and the muffled cry of pain.

The big smuggler came back to his feet and came at her like a freight train, unarmed. Taylor went to meet him without hesitation, ducking the first haymaker and throwing three quick blows into his side. An elbow glanced off her shoulder, turned by the plating before she stepped into him, dragging his arm over her shoulder and wrenching. The man flipped over her shoulder and landed hard on his back. Taylor brought the heel of her boot down into his sternum, leaving him gasping for breath as she picked up her staff and planted it on his chest. Electricity crackled and the man arced briefly before going limp. Smugglers down, now for the mercenaries.

One of the mercenaries was down, lying in a crumpled heap in a corner. Glory had a second in her grasp, holding the man in front of her as a shield as she hovered while the others were scattered about, all of them moving to flank Glory. Taylor picked a target: she wanted to leave the leader for last, but the others were fair game. She moved quickly, dashing at the closest mercenary. The man was fast: he turned and brought his rifle up as she approached but she was moving too fast. Taylor crashed into him, abandoning subtlety in order to get the rifle away from him. The both fell, rolled, coming to their feet. The mercenary had lost his rifle in the scramble and went for his pistol.

That was a mistake. Taylor shifted, bringing her staff whipping down to his arm before snapping it back up to his jaw. The man staggered, arms flailing wildly for a moment before Taylor kicked his legs from under him and planted the stun end of her staff in the small gap his breastplate left at the top of his chest.

 _'_ _Alright. That makes it two on three.'_

"Circ! Look out!"

Taylor moved on instinct with Glory's shout, flinging herself sideways and forwards in a hasty diagonal roll. A crimson beam scorched past her shoulder, barely missing her head, while a second hit her in the chest. Her chestplate held, though a sensation of intense heat briefly radiated from the spot and earned a curse from her. She came out of her roll just in time to see Glory fling her hostage at one of the three remaining mercenaries and dive at a second. Taylor herself snapped her attention to the one who had fired at her, the dual-wielding leader. Taylor ran at her, zig-zagging as she went to try and avoid any incoming fire. The Emperor spoke rapidly as she did so.

 **"** **In my experience anyone who carries two pistols is either more concerned with looks than function and will be a pushover or has the reflexes and experience to make it work: that type is dangerous. Either way, get close and try to win quickly, I don't know how much our armour can take or if she will realise that you aren't entirely armoured."**

Given that the mercenary came to meet her, Taylor was fairly sure which of the two archetypes she fitted into. The mercenary closed fast, _spinning her guns._

 _'_ _It's like an action movie, what the fuck?'_

 **"** **Don't take your eyes off her!"**

The mercenary spun into a sudden roundhouse kick that caught Taylor off guard, the boot whipping towards her skull. Taylor skidded to a halt, catching the blow on her vambrace but it staggered her and the handguns came up towards her face. Swearing in internal panic she swung her arm across, knocking one gun aside with her staff and twisting desperately.

The laser beam scorched past her face but the mercenary had overextended. Taylor grabbed her wrist, snarling as she dragged, swinging the woman around and flinging her several feet away. The woman twisted and came back to her feet, just in time for Taylor to get in her face, staff thrust forwards like a spear. The mercenary brought her right arm up to bat it aside, Taylor shifting her weight to bend her arm and throw her elbow forwards but her opponent met her forearm to forearm, aborting the strike as the other hand came up with the second handgun. Taylor grabbed the woman's wrist with her free hand, keeping the gun out of her face and then they were grappling and Taylor's augmented strength was enough to tell, she could see the grimace on the mercenary's face. The mercenary brought a boot up, somehow getting a grip on Taylor's shin guard before she pushed off the ground and drove a knee into the side of Taylor's thigh.

Taylor headbutted her.

Something broke as Taylors helmet met the mercenary's face and Taylor dropped her staff, driving the edge of her hand into her opponents neck a moment before she released her grip on the woman's wrist and grabbed her by the sides of the chestplate. It was an effort to lift the mercenary off the ground, but it was only for a moment and Taylor leveraged the mercenary's unstable position to swing her around and slam her onto the concrete. Both guns went skittering away at the impact, the mercenary flailing in a panic but Taylor simply took the blows on her armour, shrugging them off before she drove her fist into her opponents face. The mercenary choked in pain, still flailing, but Taylor simply hooked her by the breastplate, lifting her slightly from the ground before landing a second blow that left the woman limp and stunned. From there it was a simple matter to give her a final push into unconsciousness with just a flutter of biomantic power and Taylor could stand again, taking a deep breath.

"Wow," Glory said, from her position above a cluster of fallen mercenaries, "That was pretty brutal."

"Hand to hand combat is hard when you aren't a Brute." Taylor responded dryly. Well, she supposed that she was _technically_ a Brute, but she wasn't really above what was naturally humanly possible. Not yet, anyway. Give her a few months, maybe a year.

"That's all of them, I think." Taylor added. She looked down at her chest, raising a finger to prod at the dark scorch mark on her armour. A few flakes of soot peeled away and she scowled under her mask. Yet another bloody breastplate damaged- at least it was minor.

"So, you want to tie these guys up and grab a few crates before we call the Protectorate?" Glory asked. Taylor nodded absently, walking across to the boat. It was stacked with long, narrow cases and Taylor wasted no time in picking up a crowbar and popping one of them open.

"Five rifles in this one," She announced, making a quick count, "And ten boxes. Fifty rifles? That's quite the supply."

"Is it? How many men does Coil even have?"

"Can't be more than a hundred. Even the ABB and Empire struggle to put together more than a couple of hundred, and most of them aren't the sort you'd trust to be properly equipped."

"I guess that's true, but Coil is a sneaky bastard. Could be plenty of mercenaries hanging around, or maybe he just wants to have plenty of spares. Either way, it's a good thing, right? Means you can grab a couple without looking too suspicious."

Glory paused thoughtfully.

"You think they'll notice?"

Taylor shrugged, closing the lid on the box she had opened.

"I daresay. But from what Piggot said- reading between the lines, they're willing to turn a blind eye to quite a few indiscretions so long as I'm not too obvious about it. A few missing rifles from a smugglers run shouldn't raise too many eyebrows."

Glory shrugged in response as Taylor lifted the top two boxes with a grunt of effort, nodding in appreciation as Glory flew over and casually took them from her.

"Only two?"

"I'm not greedy. Besides, the longer we take the fishier it'll look- can you put those on the roof we were scoping this place from?"

"No problem."

Glory took flight again, Taylor retrieving her staff and busying herself in ensuring that the smugglers and mercenaries were tied up and unconscious.

 _'_ _Do you think I should just question the leader in front of Glory? Can I trust her?'_

 **"** **You have to trust someone at some point, Taylor. Besides that, do you trust her to guard your back in battle?"**

As was his occasional tendency, the reply that the Emperor gave was more cryptic than it was helpful. As she dragged the prisoners to a corner she mused on it.

 _'_ _I suppose that she hasn't given me any reason to distrust her. And that power-copier excuse seems to be sort of holding up. I'll just have to phrase it carefully, make sure it has very obvious limits and then never break them around other people. Make me look safe.'_

 **"** **The best lies have a core of truth."**

 _'_ _Did you get that from a fortune cookie?'_

 **"** **Wisdom is wisdom, no matter the source. Your friend has returned, by the way."**

Taylor turned to see Glory alight on the ground, next to the mercenary commander.

"So…any particular reason that you left this one here?" asked the white-clad Hero. Taylor thought it over as she walked towards Glory before, reluctantly, making her choice.

"Yes, there is. It's because- well, you know how there was that whole 'Circaetus is a power copier' thing going around?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, well…it kind of turns out that I can manipulate body chemistry. I don't have many things I can do, but one of them is…I can sort've alter someone's hormones to temporarily produce a truth serum inside their own body."

Glory Girl looked at her, looked down at the body, looked back to Taylor.

"Truth serum. We talking, y'know, Veritaserum or something?"

Taylor wiggled her hand from side to side.

"Not quite as potent but yeah, you've got the gist of it. Only lasts a couple of minutes though."

"Dare I ask how you know that?"

"I tested it on myself." Taylor smoothly lied. Glory blinked at her.

"That sounds pretty risky. Don't you have a secret identity to keep?"

Taylor feigned embarrassment.

"Yeah, I realised that shortly after I'd done it. Luckily my Dad didn't ask any revealing questions."

She shook her head and changed the subject, as though hastily trying to get away from her own recklessness.

"But anyway, I thought that this one might know some stuff about Coil. And given that- well, given some stuff he's done, I'd like to know more about him."

Glory looked like she was deep in thought- Taylor let her think. If her friend didn't agree with it, she might have to let it go, she reluctantly conceded. Which would be a bloody nuisance, but not as bad as turning Glory against her she supposed.

"Alright. Let's do this quickly, before I contact the Protectorate." Glory announced. Taylor wasted a moment staring at her before shaking her head. Glory gave her a smile.

"Hey, we're friends. I trust you, you know?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I know. Alright, I've just gotta make physical contact, but it shouldn't take long to do."

Glory backed off, allowing Taylor to pull off a gauntlet and press her fingers against the neck of the mercenary, pulling down the scarf to provide access. Of course, she didn't actually need to do that, but it would be better to hide the entirety of this power. Even from someone she actually trusted.

It was the work of a moment to make the needed alterations and haul the mercenary into a sitting position. Taylor lightly slapped the woman on the cheek, using it to hide a brief leverage of power. At her right shoulder she heard a faint scuff of boots on concrete: a quick glance over the shoulder showed her that Glory had landed and was leaning in, an expression of curiosity on her face.

"Hey. You awake there?" Taylor asked.

"Yeah." The mercenary murmured, her voice holding the sleepy quality that Taylor had expected.

"Good. Good…now then, can you tell me why you were here?"

"Picking…picking up some stuff for the boss. Spares and replacements."

That meshed with what Taylor already knew, so the serum must be working right. Just a quick check to make sure that the mercenary didn't have some kind of meditative ability to resist the serum.

"Ok. So, you work for Coil?"

"Yeah."

"Do you know where his base is?"

"No."

"No?" Glory whispered from behind her. Taylor frowned.

"You don't know where the base of the guy you work for is?"

"No."

Taylor thought quickly. It was strange that this would be the case, but then again everything she knew about Coil suggested that he was incredibly cautious and preferred to work through middlemen and cut-outs. In that case it might make sense that most of his mercenaries would have no idea about the location of his base.

"So how do you get your orders?" she asked. The mercenary replied obediently.

"Our base commander receives them and gives them to us." She said, her voice slurring slightly. Taylor focused, manually tweaking the serum levels before the woman passed out. This hadn't happened with the Merchant.

 **"** **It may be an individual reaction. It can happen on occasion."**

 _'_ _So we're on a tighter time limit than I thought.'_

 **"** **We can delay her unconsciousness. But yes, that seems to be the case."**

"Where is your base?" Glory Girl asked from behind Taylor, slightly surprising her. It was the next question that she had been about to ask anyway, so she simply listened, memorising the location that was given. Once the description was done she took over again.

"Are there any security measures that I would need to be aware of?" she asked.

Oh yes, there were. Guards, cameras, gas reserves that could flood the base, a _self-destruct device,_ Coil was going all out on the James Bond supervillain shtick. It might be amusing were she not aware that he was also a kidnapper who just loved to blackmail capes into working for him. So much for the Unwritten Rules.

"Damn, that's a lot of stuff." Glory whispered from behind her. Taylor nodded.

"What do you know about Coil himself?" Taylor asked. The mercenary was losing consciousness already, she knew. The woman's head was lolling loosely, sleep clearly overtaking her, but Taylor was able to keep her awake just long enough.

"He…dunno. He hardly says anythin'. Never shows up. But I heard that…he showed some guys…flipped a coin ten times and got heads every time."

Taylor could tell that if she kept pushing she was at risk of giving the woman brain damage, so she let her go, letting the woman slump to the ground.

"Is she gonna be alright?" Glory asked. Taylor nodded.

"It'll fade pretty quickly, and the serum acts as an amnesiac. She won't remember anything past her fight with me."

Glory nodded.

"You want me to ring the Protectorate?"

"Please. I'll take this one over to the rest."

Taylor moved away, dragging the woman and quickly reversing the alterations she had made to the mercenary as Glory opened her phone and lifted it up. Now she just had to wait…and then find some way to get the rifles to her lair…and then find a way to deal with Coil. Alright, so maybe things were more complicated that she thought. But she could manage anyway. She usually did.

"They're on their way." Glory said, putting her phone away and walking across to Taylor. The white-dressed heroine paused, standing opposite Taylor.

"So…why Coil?"

"Why Coil?" Taylor repeated. Glory nodded.

"Why are you so interested in going after Coil? He always flies low, I wouldn't have thought that you would be that interested."

Taylor hesitated, thinking before deciding that she might as well admit it.

"I- I spoke to someone who works for him." She said, after checking that there was no-one else in hearing range.

"They told me that he was the one behind Dinah Alcott's kidnapping."

Glory left the ground in surprise, hovering.

"Dinah Alcott? The Mayors niece?"

"Is she? But yeah. The Undersiders hitting the bank was a distraction, I think. I don't know why he wanted Dinah, but I'm not about to just look away from that."

Glory was frowning.

"I guess this is the point when I should ask about your source?" she asked quietly. Taylor simply tilted her head, waiting. Glory shook her head and continued.

"But you wouldn't tell me, because secrets are easier to keep when there's only one of you. Okay. Coil took Dinah, so you're going after him when you can. But-why would he take her?"

Taylor put her hands in her pockets, leaning her staff against her shoulder.

"Well- a few reasons that I could think of. Best case scenario, Coil wants to blackmail the Mayor for something and she was a convenient piece. Worse option, she's a Parahuman. My- my source told me that Coil has no qualms about blackmailing and forcing parahumans to work for him. Worst option, Coil wants her because she's a young girl and…"

Taylor left that thought hanging. Glory shuddered.

"Let's hope it's the first one." She muttered. Another head shake.

"That merc said that Coil once flipped a coin ten times and got heads every time. You think that's his power?"

"Some kind of probability manipulation? Could be. Might be a nuisance- though I guess that sort of power probably doesn't lend itself to a straight brawl. Unless he can get constant lucky hits or something? Don't know. But yeah, I intend to keep going after Coil. Someone has to."

"Well, you know you can call me if you need to. I'm always happy to turn up and help."

Taylor nodded, letting them lapse into silence until Glory spoke again.

"So- the fundraiser that's coming up."

Taylor tilted her head again, waiting. Glory cleared her throat.

"Are you going?"

Taylor shrugged.

"Wasn't going to. But now you're going to ask me to, aren't you?"

"Eh…"

Taylor pulled a hand from her pocket long enough to wave it in a 'get on with it' motion.

"I kinda need a wingman."

"A wingman?" Taylor asked, amused. Glory nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, I thought that you would be there anyway, since you were the one who took down Bakuda and Lung, but I want to, you know."

"Spend time with Gallant rather than being forced to talk to all the stuffy politicians?" Taylor completed. Glory shrugged.

"Yeah, pretty much."

Taylor sighed, letting Glory wait for a few minutes.

 _'_ _I suppose we do need to start building links with the politicians, like you suggested.'_

 **"** **I am rarely wrong when it comes to thigs like that."**

Taylor forbore to get into that conversation, instead nodding to Glory.

"Alright, alright. I guess if you really need a wingman."

Glory beamed, sliding across the room and wrapping an arm around Taylor. Taylor blinked in surprise as the half-hug lifted her off the ground, her armour creaking a little under the pressure.

"Uh, Glory-"

"What? Oh! Sorry."

"Yeah, it's alright." Taylor said, landing back on the ground. She cocked her head as she heard faint sirens, the incoming sign of their reinforcements.

"And here come the heavies." She said. Glory tilted her own head, nodding.

"Yep. Hey, Circ? You don't really want to go to this ting, do you?"

"Not especially." Taylor admitted. Glory nodded quietly. Taylor glanced at her, shrugged.

"But hey, I couldn't leave you to go it all alone."

Glory laughed.

"You're a good friend, Circ."

Taylor grinned under her mask.

"Glory, I'm the best."

Taylor dreamed.

Once again she faced the mercenaries, once again she fought and defeated the leader as Glory faced the others. And then it changed.

Some instinct screamed warning and Taylor moved, aborting her final blow and throwing herself aside. Not a moment too soon, as the ground where she had stood cratered under the blow of some great beast, a lizardlike creature that stood on four clawed feet, spiked tail lashing behind it and muzzle filled with gleaming fangs. Behind it came three others, all in red and black uniforms.

"Who the fuck are you?" Taylor demanded, spinning to her feet and snatching up her staff. One of the red and black clad figures made a bow, a finger tilting his top hat and revealing his skull-like mask.

"I am Trickster. We, are the Travellers. And I'm afraid we've been brought here to stop you."

The creature lunged, fangs seeking and claws flailing but Taylor had its measure. The butt of her staff rammed solidly into it's throat merely a moment before she brought the staff around in a crushing blow to the hinge of the jaw, knocking the creature back as she lunged at the others. She closed on one of them, a woman who looked prepared to fight. Taylor leapt in, exchanging quick blows with the woman- she was good, but Taylor was better and quickly closing ground. From the corner of her eye Taylor saw Glory toss aside the last mercenary and dive towards the creature, fist cocked for a brutal blow that would end it before-

The blow hit Taylor like a wrecking ball, white hot pain sudden searing her insides as she was hurled through the air, ribs screaming in protest and armour cracking. She landed with an impact that knocked the staff from her hand and made her ribs burn like red hot pokers were being driven through her, not understanding.

"Circ!"

Glory, suddenly where Taylor had stood a moment before, was transfixed with shock and horror for an instant before a look of utter fury distorted her features.

"You!" she roared, spinning and lunging at Trickster. Taylor rolled over, coughing and gasping, every breath sending icicles of agony lancing through her chest. Fractured or broken ribs, some part of her noted absently, possibly punctured lungs. No. She was breathing, her lungs must still be fine, she muzzily denied as she fought her way to her feet, dragging on the agony and feeding it into her power just to stand. Glory was swinging at Trickster, unbalanced by her rage and he was avoiding her if only barely and Taylor just needed to get into the fight because-

"Now!"

Trickster was replaced by a woman in black and red an instant before an inferno engulfed the heroine. Taylor stared in horror, pain pushed aside and forgotten as a scream came from the fire, a dark figure twisting and turning before-

The fire went out and Glory was revealed, no longer white. Flesh seared black and bloody crimson sloughed off bones that were themselves charred black, an awful scarecrow figure that stumbled and reached out a single, beseeching hand, the scream fading into a grating, rasping nothingness as Taylor's friend fell, burned beyond recognition and even as Taylor tried to deny it she remembered the crimson flash of a laser a mere instant before the fire had begun, striking out at Victoria like a deadly, stealthy serpent.

Taylor stood, her rasping breath suddenly loud in the silence as she called upon her powers, washing away the agony of drawing too strongly from the Warp with the awful pain of loss and the terrible, unutterable fury that brought might to her bones.

Trickster looked at her with horror for but an instant.

Taylor crossed the ground between her and the Traveller woman in a single empowered leap, her fist coming back. The woman vanished but Taylor cared not: her fist crushed the skull of the mercenary leader with a single blow, her armour and helm painted with the blood of the guilty. Taylor turned her gaze to the Travellers, her rage turned icy.

They would all die.

The fire wielder brought her hands up, panic evident in her stance and a sun blossomed between her palms an instant before Taylor brought up the gun she had snatched from the mercenary and opened fire. Lasers spat across space and there was a lurching as she was suddenly where the Traveller had been but Taylor smiled.

She brought up her other hand and let the flash grenade she had stolen from the mercenary go off.

Trickster teleported instinctively, but he was not Taylor's target.

The unknown Traveller, the one Taylor had not yet seen act, died as a laser bolt burned through her mask and boiled her brain inside her skull and Taylor took a deep, deep breath, smelling the stink of burning flesh and letting it feed her fury, let it steel her resolve. She had been kind, had been fair, and this was what it brought her. Well, no more.

The clawed hand that smashed into her elbow brought her attention back. She staggered, the sudden pain blossoming in her arm and more blood spraying her coat, but this time it was her own, white bone briefly showing through the rip in her coat before it was obscured by the wash of blood. Taylor snapped her whole body around, feeding the pain into the greater pain of her powers and revelling in it.

"Ah, a volunteer." She grated, her voice echoing and distorting oddly. She moved suddenly, twisting to avoid a rapid series of slashes. Her own counter blow was precisely located, tearing off an arm before she moved, ducking a desperate counterblow and driving her fist through the spine of the creature. She left it howling as she rushed towards the sunmaker, reaching out with her powers to Trickster even as she did so because even if it killed her she had them back for a moment and-

The miniature sun claimed a second victim, Trickster screaming just as Glory had screamed as the ravenous fire feasted on his flesh and cracked through the bones to devour the marrow, consuming blood and fat and muscle until he too was left naught but a smoking, torn skeleton, a terrible testament to utter power.

Taylor laughed, wild and exultant. She could feel blood pouring down her face, down her chin, soaking into her mask and salty-copper on her tongue and her vision was reddened by the bleeding eyes but still she laughed as she advanced upon the last Traveller, the woman shaking and horrified. Taylor moved slowly, no need to hurry, this one she wanted to savour.

"N-no. No! This- this isn't-"

The woman was barely making sense. Taylor ignored it as she kept walking, the pain now a completely consuming companion. She should not be moving, she dimly comprehended, but she did. She would allow no less, and even as her power ruined her flesh her will seized that power and forced it to carry her onwards. The Traveller turned, wide and terrified eyes locking onto Taylor an instant before another sun flared into being between shaking fingers.

Taylor waved a hand and a vacuum extinguished the fire, shattering and bloodying the fingers an instant before Taylor gestured and the Traveller was dragged towards her.

"No- No! Please!"

Taylor ignored the pleas. What did the pathetic mewlings of such a creature mean to her?

"Nonono, please, we just- we just wanted to go home! We just wanted to go home!"

The sobbing, keening pleading inspired nothing but aggravation as Taylor dragged the Traveller to her, bringing her sailing through the air.

The woman's jaw snapped under the blow Taylor delivered before she waved, forcing the Traveller to her knees and standing over her like some terrible, triumphant goddess of vengeance.

Taylor spoke no words as she tore the woman's heart from her chest and let the body fall, the conflagration of hate and rage and pain inside her abating only a little. Coil,she realised. Coil had done this. Coil had killed Glory, had forced Taylor to kill. And for that, Coil would burn.

And if Brockton Bay defended him? Then it would burn too.

Taylor woke with a barely stifled scream, hurling herself from her bed with a sudden violence and landing on her feet, heart pumping furiously and blood thundering in her ears.

 _"_ _What the fuck was that?"_ she exclaimed, breath unsteady and rapid. It had been- she closed her eyes and forced her mind away from the terrible _rage_ that had gripped her, caught her in it's icy grip.

 **"** **A vision."** The Emperor stated grimly, his voice hard and determined. Taylor leaned against the wall, working hard to control her breathing before it sped up any further.

 _'_ _The fuck kind of vision? That didn't fucking happen, it can't fucking happen, we've already moved past that!'_

 **"** **And yet we saw it."** The Emperor said, still grim, though his presence and voice were already working to sooth her. She hadn't heard him in the dream- vision- she realised. It disturbed her more than she thought.

 _'_ _Yeah, but of the past? An alternate past? And-"_

Taylor refused to speak of what had happened. It couldn't happen. And, though she hated to admit it, she was frightened. Would it really take such a little thing to set her off?

 **"** **The death of a friend is not a small thing. But you are mistaken. We have dreamed of an alternate past before."**

 _'_ _When- oh. When we dreamed of Dinah Alcott. When we…when we interfered with a plan of Coils…"_ Taylor realised.

 **"** **Yes."**

Which really left only one question.

 _'_ _What the fuck kind of power does Coil have, that he could make our visions do that?'_

* * *

 **Oh hey, it's a thing. A cliffhangar thingy, almost.**

 **If anybody is wondering why the Travellers went for lethal force, it was because they didn't expect it to be lethal on Glory Girl and then, when Taylor went postal, they didn't really see any other choice. If the Travellers seem out of character, it's partly because things were messed up and partly because I'm hastily writing this in order to get it out before I move house and have no Internet for most of a month, sorry.**

 **As always, reviews are very welcome and I hope you enjoyed it.**


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